6/19/16 Santa Anita Late Pick Four - Preview

Happy Fathers Day to all you sires out there, and especially so to all of you who were dads when you didn't have to be.  Hopefully today will be a grand day, and hopefully a grand part of the day will be enjoying some horse racing at your preferred venue.  As for me, that venue will be Santa Anita, where Sunday's featured race is the Grade 2 Honeymoon.  We'll be looking at that contest below, as we take another run at The Late Pick Four at The Great Race Place.

RACE 6 - (F) OC 75k/C - Eight Furlongs Turf

A’s

# 7 Mrs. Norris (Morning Line 10-1)

B’s

# 6 Nine Point Nine (ML 6-1)
# 9 Sweet Queen (ML 8-1)
# 11 Friulian (ML 10-1)

C's

# 1 Cover Song (ML 7-2)
# 3 Not Now Carolyn (ML 5-1)
# 4 Optimism And Hope (Ire) (ML 6-1)

Scratch # 2 Candy Boss (No Line).  Do not bring in Mitzi Winks (ML 15-1) off the Also Eligible List.

Mrs. Norris took the Place at this approximate class level upstate last time out.  Nine Point Nine took the Place at this class level charging down the hill last time out.

Sweet Queen, making her first start of 2016, took the Show in The Blue Norther last time out.  You'll know early if Sweet Queen is ready to roll, as she should be the one leading the field from the gate.   Friulian, like Sweet Queen, is trained by Paddy Gallagher, and could be the one getting first run at the leaders.

Cover Song tries winners for the first time after graduating in her turf debut last time out.  Optimism and Hope (Ire) has twice taken the Show at this class level in her last four starts.

Not Now Carolyn took the Show at this approximate class level last time out, and she should benefit from the cutback in distance.  Not Now Carolyn's connections made the decision to scratch out of facing Songbird Saturday in order to run here instead.  The concern with Not Now Carolyn is that she seems to have developed the habit of following up a solid effort with a poor effort.

Also note that, if those fancy new symbols in DRF's Past Performances are to be believed, Not Now Carolyn couldn't hold the lead last time out despite a race pace shape that strongly favored early speed.  In addition, Not Now Carolyn's lone career win came wiring the field in a contest where the race pace shape strongly favored early speed.  I still think Not Now Carolyn should be respected in this spot; but I can see her getting over bet today based upon her last effort.

RACE 7 - Clm $16k - Six Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 5 My Samurai Warrior (ML 4-1)

B’s

# 2 No Contingency (ML 9-2)
# 3 Ain't Misbehavin (ML 5-2)
# 8 Carlot Cowboy (ML 6-1)

C's

# 7 Time Jumper (ML 6-1)

My Samurai Warrior and Ain't Misbehavin go first off the claim for a pair of trainers (Mark Glatt and Steve Miyadi, respectively) who tend to be successful with such.  No Contingency should appreciate the class drop.

Carlot Cowboy should improve with the return to one turn racing.  Time Jumper has finished in the Trifecta in each of his two career starts on a Fast dirt track.

RACE 8 - (F) The Honeymoon (Grade 2) - Nine Furlongs Turf

A’s

# 3 Stays in Vegas (ML 4-1)
# 6 Be Mine (ML 7-2)

B's

# 4 Decked Out (ML 4-1)
# 9 Where's the D (ML 12-1)

C's

# 7 Jeremy's Legacy (Ire) (ML 6-1)

Scratch # 10 Sutton's Smile (ML 12-1) who finished last in Saturday's Summertime Oaks

Stays in Vegas took the Grade 3 Senorita last time out, a head in front of Be Mine, with Decked Out just a length behind.  I expect these three to be close together at the wire again today.  Where's the D will try to steal this one on the front end.  Jeremy's Legacy (Ire) took the Place behind Decked Out in the Grade 3 Providencia two starts back, and is showing a steadily improving form.

RACE 9 - Md $20k - Six and a Half Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 2 Chanito (ML 5-1)

# 13 Bundesliga (ML 7-2)

B's

None

C's

# 5 Cheap O Charlie (ML 6-1)
# 7 My Son John (ML 6-1)
# 9 Dig for Gold (ML 4-1)

Scratch # 1 Coltonsgrace (NL)

Chanito is oh-for-twenty-three lifetime; not exactly what you look for in your "A" Selections.  But only three of those twenty-three starts for Chanito had him in for a tag; and in those three he has twice taken the Show.  Chanito may also be lone speed on the rail in this contest.

Bundesliga is a first time starter for Trainer Bob Baffert.  It looks like Bundesliga's connections are just looking to grab a purse and say good-bye to this runner.  Cheap O Charlie took the Show at this class level at today's distance two starts back.

My Son John took the Show against more expensive three starts back.  Dig for Gold makes his second career start, and may be more focused after having undergone the ultimate equipment change.

OK, that's the analysis.  Playing our tickets in Crist fashion, we get:

All A Entries

$1.00 P4: 7 with 5 with 3,6 with 2,13 $4.00

All A Entries with All B Entries

$0.50 P4: 6,7,9,11 with 2,3,5,8 with 3,4,6,9 with 2,13 $64.00

A's with One C

$0.50 P4: 1,3,4 with 5 with 3,6 with 2,13 $6.00
$0.50 P4: 7 with 7 with 3,6 with 2,13 $2.00
$0.50 P4: 7 with 5 with 7 with 2,13 $1.00
$0.50 P4: 7 with 5 with 3,6 with 5,7,9 $3.00

Total: $80.00

Post Time for Race 6 is 5:30 EDT / 2:30 PDT.  Good luck to all.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo