3/8/15 Santa Anita Late Pick Four - Preview

Hope everyone remembered to turn their clocks ahead an hour (excepting, of course, those of you fortunate enough to live someplace that doesn't engage in such foolishness).  Keeping my action in SoCal on the day after Big Cap Day, and taking a run at The Late Pick Four.

RACE 6 - [S] MSW - Six Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 1 Stormin Trick (Morning Line 4-1)

B's

# 4 Rocko's Wheel (ML 5-2)
# 7 Particleacelerator (ML 4-1)

C's

None

Stormin Trick made a nice move forward last time out in his second career start, taking the Place at this class level.  Rocko's Wheel returns to action for his second career start, having made his debut at Del Mar last September.  Trainer Phil D'Amato gets over twenty percent winners from both maidens making their second start and from runners returning from a greater than six month absence.  Particleacelerator is a first time starter sired by Cyclotron, whose progeny win at first asking approximately 12% of the time.  Note that Particleacelaerator also has the best Tomlinson Rating for today's distance in this field.

RACE 7 - Alw 40000s N2L - Eight Furlongs Turf

A’s

# 3 Deputy Heat (ML 4-1)

B's

# 7 Brother Soldier (ML 4-1)

C’s

None

# 2 Silver Torch (ML 7-2) has been scratched.  # 8 Visitation (No Line) was a program scratch; so # 13 Silent Ruler (ML 12-1) draws in off the Also Eligible List, while # 14 Burning (ML 20-1) gets to stay in the barn.

Deputy Heat broke his maiden against non-claimers in his turf debut, and was able to take the Show against open (non-conditioned) $35k claimers in his turf debut, and then defeated non-claiming maidens in his second career start on the grass.

Like Deputy Heat, Silver Torch graduated against non-claiming maidens on the grass.  But unlike Deputy Heat, Silver Torch has already failed four times at this class level; not enough failures (in my opinion) to make Silver Torch a toss out, but enough to put up a red flag that this may be a horse that is content to settle for minor awards.

Brother Soldier seems to be returning to the form that he showed last year when he took the Place against $80k optional claimers (N1X) in his turf debut.

RACE 8 - (F) The Las Flores (Grade 3) - Six Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 3 Global Hottie (ML 2-1)

B's

# 1 Harlington's Rose (ML 4-1)

C’s

None

Global Hottie, trained by Bob Baffert, took a big step forward last time out in defeating OC $62k N2X company over this main track.  The question now is can she maintain that form against stakes company.  Harlington's Rose won The Kalookan Queen three starts back (defeating, among others, # 7 Tribal Gal (ML 5-2)) and took the Show in the Grade 2 Santa Monica two starts back; both over this main track.

RACE 9 - Md $75k - Eight Furlongs Turf

A’s

# 2 Perfect Temptation (ML 4-1)
# 5 Go Trumpy Go (ML 7-2)

B's

# 1 Paythebank (ML 12-1)
# 6 Vicious (ML 6-1)
# 7 Big Hat Charlie (ML 5-1)
# 8 Unusually Big (ML 6-1)
# 9 Ink Well (ML 12-1)
# 10 Passinaflash (ML 5-1)

C’s

None

The Also Eligibles, # 13 Southeast Asia (ML 20-1) and # 14 Midnight City (ML 15-1), don't draw in, and get to enjoy a day of rest.

Perfect Temptation and Go Trumpy Go both acquitted themselves well in their respective turf debuts charging down the hill last month.  Paythebank, also in that field, did not fare as well; but Paythebank is the only runner in this field with experience routing on the grass.

Vicious, Big Hat Charlie, Ink Well, and Passinaflash are all making their turf debuts while simultaneously dropping in for a tag for the first time.  Unusually Big is also making his debut on the grass.  Unusually Big's grandsire is Dynaformer, while his dam sire is Unusual Heat; so it's fair to presume that Unusually Big will improve with the switch to grass.

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

All A Entries

$1.00 P4: 1 with 3 with 3 with 2,5 $2.00

All A Entries with All B Entries

$0.50 P4: 1,4,7 with 3,7 with 1,3 with 1,2,5,6,7,8,9,10 $48.00

Total: $50.00

Post Time for Race 6 is 5:57 EDT / 2:57 PDT.  Good luck to all.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo