Santa Anita Park Horse Racing Picks for Sunday 1/10/21
It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 3:30 p.m. EST, we have nine races at Santa Anita Park. Using numberFire’s projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.
As always, check the program for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.
(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions.)
Heathers Grey, Race 5
FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/2
Race 5 is an Allowance race for older fillies and mares going 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf. The projected winner according to both Daily Horse Picks (DHP) and numberFire is An Eddie Surprise (4/1). Each has Heathers Grey (7/2) hitting the board, and Heathers Grey rates fastest speed in the race by DHP, just in front of An Eddie Surprise.
An Eddie Surprise is racing for the optional claiming tag of $62,500 with strong stretch jockey Joel Rosario riding for EPO trainer Peter Miller. She has finished third in her last two races, including in late October in a graded stakes race off a layoff, sprinting shorter with a 102 speed figure.
Heathers Grey has hit the board in six straight races, including her last two with triple-digit speed figures and going longer last race. She had a bullet-best workout among 62 runners a week ago.
Favorite Aqua Seaform Shame (3/1) has back-to-back triple-digit speed figures, and top turf rider Umberto Rispoli rides for EPO trainer Richard Baltas. Gypsy Blu (6/1) with top jockey Flavien Prat has some stronger speed figures here last three races, but the six-year-old has not won in nearly two years.
Qahira and Acting Out, Race 8
FanDuel Racing Odds: 2/1 and 5/1
Race 8 is the $75K Kalookan Queen minor stakes for older fillies and mares going 6 1/2 furlongs. According to numberFire, this is a two-horse race between top choice Qahira (2/1) and Amuse (5/2), with Guaranteed Tip Sheet having those two hitting the board behind winner Acting Out (5/1), who has strong gate rider Abel Cedillo on board.
Amuse was sidelined for more than a year and returned to the track last June. Amuse has some solid works since her last race in September but no wins. She does have three in-the-money finishes since June in graded stakes races and a best speed figure of 103.
Qahira (2/1) is freshened and rates top speed for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Joel Rosario along with Amuse, Biddy Duke (7/2) and Acting Out (5/1). Acting Out has speed and will push the pace but has only sprinted shorter distances. Trainer Art Sherman scratched Acting Out from a turf sprint stakes race on Saturday to run her here.
Plum Sexy and Miss Dracarys, Race 9
FanDuel Racing Odds: 8/1 and 5/2
Race 9 is an Allowance race with an optional $100K claiming price for three-year-old fillies, and it's going 6 furlongs on the turf. The top pick according to numberFire's projections is Inner Beauty (8/1) with Nimbostratus (4/1) and Risen Lady (20/1) to hit the board. Inner Beauty missed the board in two Del Mar starts since coming to the U.S. last summer. Flavien Prat rides Nimbostratus for trainer Peter Miller. She’s faced better but missed the board badly in two recent stakes starts.
Favorite Miss Dracarys (5/2) breaks from the far outside No. 11 post, and Joel Rosario has been summoned to ride. She’s the only filly in the race without Lasix, and she won her debut at Aqueduct five weeks ago.
Risen Lady faces better here after winning easily in October to break her maiden. She improved her speed but finished fourth last race and now faces better. Plum Sexy (8/1) is in play despite faltering on the lead in her graded stakes debut. She won easily sprinting in her maiden debut.
