Santa Anita Park Horse Racing Picks for Saturday 3/6/21
It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 3:00 p.m. EST, we have 11 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.)
MANDATORY PAYOUT: Big 'Cap Day - Saturday, March 6 - The 20¢ Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot must payout! Pool estimated to approach $6,000,000! Starts on Race 6 - the San Felipe Stakes.
Medina Spirit and Roman Centurian, Race 6
FanDuel Racing Odds: 7/2 and 8/1
Race 3 is the $300K Grade II San Felipe Stakes for three-year-olds racing 1 1/16 miles. It’s a Kentucky Derby prep race that is offering 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers. The top pick of numberFire’s data is the prohibitive favorite, Life is Good (4/5), followed by Medina Spirit (7/2). Both runners are trained by Hall-of-Fame trainer Bob Baffert, and Guaranteed Tip Sheet likes Life is Good and also gives The Great One (4/1) a shot to upset.
Life is Good has won both his starts as a 1/5 favorite, including by less than a length over strong closing Medina Spirit in the Sham Stakes in early January. Medina Spirit came back to win the Robert B Lewis (G2), digging in late to hold off closer Roman Centurian (8/1). Roman Centurian is a son of Empire Maker, a 3-time Grade I winner who finished second in the 2003 Kentucky Derby. FB Winners notes the expected speed duel up front between Life is Good and The Great One sets up well for Roman Centurian.
Horse Racing Radar notes The Great One is named after hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, and his last two races with triple-digit speed figures may be good enough to win here. His sire, Nyquist, won the 2016 Kentucky Derby.
Extra Hope and Tigre Di Slugo, Race 8
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/1 and 5/2
Race 8 is a the $200K Grade II San Carlos for older horses racing 7 furlongs. Lightning fast Brickyard Ride (3/1) should set the pace according to Super Screener, but Tigre Di Slugo (5/2) and reliable board hitter Extra Hope (4/1) are the top win contenders in a pretty open race. Leading jockeys Flavien Prat and Juan Hernandez ride those two top win contenders, and numberFire’s data and form ratings project Extra Hope to win with Storm the Court (5/1) a board hitter.
Guaranteed Tip Sheet notes Brickyard Ride ran the top last-race speed figure (115) when winning the California Cup Sprint in January. Tigre Di Slugo was a well beaten second as the favorite behind Brickyard Tide after checking and having his off-the-pace run stunted into the far turn.
Independence Hall and Maxfield, Race 10
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/1 and 8/5
Race 10 is the $400K Grade I Santa Anita Handicap for older horses racing 1 1/4 miles. The favorite and top pick of both numberFire and Guaranteed Tip Sheet is Maxfield (8/5) followed by Independence Hall (4/1). Independence Hall is a board hitter and potential upset winner, according to FB Winners and FanDuel Racing.
Maxfield is 5-for-5 and looks tough to beat again. Horse Racing Radar notes he’s a son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and has won a pair of Grade III races and a Grade I while improving his speed figures each outing. Still, he has yet to race beyond 1 1/16 miles and has more to prove in going the classic distance.
Independence Hall is a son of top sire Constitution, and he ran his best race when finishing third in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January. Express Train (3/1) is a threat after running his best two races over this track in his two recent graded stakes tries. He was a 3-length winner over Tizamagician (12/1) in the Grade II San Pasqual five weeks ago.
