$300k San Antonio

$300,000 San Antonio (G2)

Santa Anita Park

Race 8 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018: 6:25 p.m./ET; 3:25 p.m./PT)

Mile and a sixteenth on the main track (three-year-olds and upward)

The San Antonio (G2) will give racing fans a sneak peek into the Southern California older handicap division for 2019 and featured in the race is a Breeders’ Cup winner, a Bob Baffert trainee on the improve, a new colt in California that showed promise back East and some talented three-year-olds facing older horses for the first time. Let’s try to sort the puzzle and make some money:

#1 PITINO added blinkers and broke his maiden sprinting at Del Mar last month and now faces (talented) winners for the first time while getting back to routing. Looks like he is in tough.

#2 BATTLE OF MIDWAY, the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner, most recently has won two races in a row, easily defeating five other rivals in the Comma to the Top Stakes over this track and then beat #3 DABSTER in a hard-fought stretch duel in the Native Diver (G3) at Del Mar. Has tactical speed and is the likely post time favorite.

#3 DABSTER fought gallantly in defeat while finishing a neck behind #2 BATTLE OF MIDWAY in the Native Diver (G3) last time out. Has two bullet drills on his resume since then. Wouldn’t count him out.

#4 SONNETEER hasn’t been seen since a second place finish against allowance company in May at Churchill Downs. This Calumet Farm owned colt is 2-for-21 in his career (winless on fast dirt) and he usually sits far off the early speed, meaning he is at the mercy of the pace. Others look more attractive.

#5 YULONG WARRIOR was badly beaten in the Zia Park Derby and has failed to fire in two of three starts since moving from Europe to North America. Longshot.

#6 TATTERS TO RICHES comes off a 13-length loss to #2 BATTLE OF MIDWAY in the Comma to the Top Stakes over this track in October and now adds blinkers. Trainer stats on the new equipment change are far from enticing. Playing against.

#7 GIFT BOX appears to be a private purchase for Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler, who wins at an 18% clip with his trainees making their first start over 180 days. His last start (back in March) was for the barn of Chad Brown in New York and he won a second level allowance race by almost nine lengths. Fast works in AM indicate he could be live.

#8 AIR STRIKE comes off a three-quarter-length loss in the Zia Park Derby against three-year-olds and now faces older colts. His only start over the Santa Anita main track was two starts ago, when he defeated first level allowance company. This is the toughest field he has seen to date.

#9 BEACH VIEW makes his second start off a four-month break, having run third after a traffic-filled Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) trip. In his start before the layoff, he crushed a good field in the Cougar II Handicap (G3) going a mile-and-a-half on dirt. Sneaky contender at what could be a good price.

SELECTIONS

1. #7 GIFT BOX – Ready to fire for new barn off the bench.
2. #2 BATTLE OF MIDWAY– Class of the field.
3. #3 DABSTER – Only lost by a neck to second selection.

LONGSHOT VALUE PLAY-#9 BEACH VIEW – Trainer excels going turf to dirt.

WAGERING STRATEGY

I’ll make a straight win bet on my top selection.

BANKROLL PLAY ($50 Budget)

$50 Win: #7 GIFT BOX

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