As usual, a stellar opening-day card awaits horseplayers at Santa Anita Park on Tuesday, featuring three Grade 1s, three Grade 2s and lots of good cheer for the 89th season at the track at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The weather outside looks delightful, and the 11-race program drew a total of 89 horses, including seven trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
We’ll focus here on picking some winning combinations for the final Grade 1 races of 2023, the Malibu, the La Brea, and the American Oaks – all with $300,000 purses.
Let’s recall last year’s opening day when Baffert enjoyed one of his best days at his home track – five wins – with Taiba in the Malibu, Fun to Dream in the La Brea, Country Grammer in the San Antonio (G2), Faustin in his debut and Bletchley Park in a maiden race.
Can he do it again?
His lineup in the Grade 1s for Tuesday: 5-2 favorite Speed Boat Beach and 3-1 co-second choices Fort Bragg and Hejazi in the 7-furlong Malibu for 3-year-olds; and 10-1 Fast and Shiny in the 7-furlong La Brea for 3-year-old fillies.
Champion Showdown: Grade 1 Duels & Baffert’s Stakes at Santa Anita
$300,000 Malibu (G1), post time 2:30 p.m. (race 8)
A son of 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning Bayern, Speed Boat Beach hasn’t won in his last two starts – fourth in the BC Sprint (G1) and second in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) — but will be reunited with Flavien Prat, who rode him to his last win, in the Cecil B. DeMille (G3) in December 2022.
Fort Bragg, third in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, won a 6 ½-furrlong allowance on Nov. 17 at Del Mar in his last start. Irad Otiz, Jr., the nation’s leading jockey, will be aboard for the first time. Fort Bragg, a son of Tapit making his 12th start, is looking for his first G1 win.
Hejazi is a New York bred purchased for $3.5 million by Zedan Racing Stables. A son of Bernardini, the 3-year-old has won two of seven starts but has finished in the top 3 six times. Juan Henandez has the call.
Woodbine’s leading rider Kazushi Kamura gets a chance at Santa Anita when he climbs aboard Brad Cox-trained Giant Mischief, 3-for-6 and seeking a first graded stakes win.
The picks: 1 Speed Boat Beach 2 Raise Cain 3 Fort Bragg
$300,000 La Brea (G1), post time 3:30 p.m. (race 10)
Clearly Unhinged is the 3-1 favorite for trainer Michael McCarthy in a field of 10. The daughter of Into Mischief was sixth in the BC Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) in her last start.
This looks to be a wide-open race with only one graded stakes winner in the field – Ice Dancing, a 3-year-old Frosted filly who won the Santa Ynez (G3) at Santa Anita on Jan. 8; she ran second in the optional allowance claimer last month in her only other start in 2023.
Baffert has 10-1 longshot Fast and Shiny as he seeks a 10th victory in the La Brea.
Cal-bred Big Pond, trained by Tim Yakteen, will be ridden by Frankie Dettori and is 5-1 on the morning line. The bay filly didn’t race until June, won her first two starts, ran ninth in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) in August, and was second in an allowance optional claimer last month. We think a rider change makes this filly a win threat.
The picks: 1 Big Pond 2 Clearly Unhinged 3 Royal Spa
$300,000 American Oaks (G1), post time 1 p.m. (race 5)
Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Anisette is a deserving 8-5 favorite in a field of seven 3-year-old fillies going 1 ¼ miles.
With three wins and a pair of seconds since arriving from England, Anisette has adapted well to southern California. Her closing style will be tough to beat in this one, and trainer Leonard Powell hopes to finish out the year with one more Grade 1 win.
She ran second in her last two races, both at Santa Anita, the Rodeo Srive (G2) and the Autumn Miss (G3). Umberto Rispoli has the call.
Ireland bred Be Your Best, eighth in the Twilight Derby (G2) at Santa Anita on Nov. 4 under Irad Ortiz, Jr., is trying to end an eight-race losing streak. Ortiz has the call again. Be Your Best finished second behind Anisette in the Del Mar Oaks and is an appealing 7-2.
The picks: 1 Be Your Best 2 Anisette 3 Musical Mischief
(Merry Christmas!)