Santa Anita Park Horse Racing Picks for Friday 3/19/21
It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 4:00 p.m. EST, we have eight 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).
Cargo, Race 1
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/5
The day begins at the Great Race Place with a Maiden Special Weight for state-bred three-year-olds racing 1-mile on the Turf. The top pick, according to numberFire's projections, is the favorite, Cargo (4/5), followed by Hail Freedom (3/1).
No value in Cargo at low odds, but he’s the likely winner having finished runner-up here a month ago sprinting 6 furlongs. He was bumped and steadied early in that race, and now stretches out for EPO trainer Phil D’Amato with leading jockey Flavien Prat riding again.
Just Distorted, Race 5
FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/2
Race 5 is a Maiden Special Weight for three-year-old fillies sprinting 6 ½ furlongs. numberFire's algorithm projects Lady Aces (7/2) to edge the favorite Just Distorted (5/2). Lady Aces is an interesting newcomer who gets a good outside draw and top jockey Flavien Prat to ride. Stella Noir (4/1) is just to her outside in the eight-hole and also makes her debut with a good chance following a strong workout. Just Distorted finished second on debut last month with an 85 speed figure and rallied steadily through the lane. She may have to catch Stella Noir this time.
Circleofchampions and Warrens Candyman, Race 8
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/1 and 3/1
Race 8 is a Maiden Special Weight for state-bred three-year-olds racing 1-mile on the Turf. This is a split of Race 1, and numberFire projects Big Flint (3/1) and Warrens Candyman (3/1) to decide the race.
Circleofchampions (4/1) with top turf rider Umberto Rispoli ran well last race at 1 1/8 miles. He was a big longshot and set the pace for a mile while opening a big lead. He couldn’t hold on and finished second with an 85 speed figure and was a nose in front of third place finisher Warrens Candyman. Big Flint is a logical contender off back-to-back runner-up finishes before pulling up last race. Blue Star (6/1) is another one who will rally late with Flavien Prat looking to add to his meet-high wins.
