ARCADIA, Calif. -- It’s closing weekend for the meet at Santa Anita, a busy weekend ahead of the move to Cypress and Los Alamitos for the L.A. County Meet. That’s right: time to move to Orange County for the L.A. County Meet. Only in horse racing.
Prior to the move to Cypress, however, are a few stacked cards in Arcadia. Saturday’s is no exception, as 97 horses are carded at Santa Anita. There are no shortage of fun fields, and apparent money-making opportunities.
The Grade 3 Daytona is a turf sprint, contested on the downhill course at Santa Anita. Its list of past winners is impressive, and this year’s race includes a past winner, and a pair of serious turf sprinters.
Let’s meet the field, and put together our final Santa Anita wager for a while.
Grade 3 Daytona Stakes. 6 ½ furlongs, downhill turf. 3+up. $100,000.
1. Air Force Red. 8/1. Jockey: Armando Ayuso. Trainer: Leonard Powell.
Air Force Red has run four times this calendar year, with three of them coming in flat turf races. He’s had mixed results in those, but he has decent excuses for all of them: the fields were very good, and he was up against mile specialists in his attempts going two turns. His one win? In the Grade 3 San Simeon, which is also run down the hill. He’s won half of his ten career starts at the distance, with an additional two times running second. He’s legit here, and the price is absolutely right.
Comment: best long shot.
2. Bran. 9/2. Jockey: Umberto Rispoli. Trainer: John Sadler.
Bran is now 7-years-old, a veteran of 25 races and still giving an honest effort every time out. Bran hasn’t run down the hill since winning this race in 2023, but has six top three finishes in seven runs down the hill. He’s coming off a good second place finish in the Siren Lure, his first race in 2025; this is second in the form cycle, and makes him a real threat here.
Comment: among the likelier winners.
3. Goliad. 7/2. Jockey: Mike Smith. Trainer: Richard Mandella.
Goliad’s career has made him a miler, with so many good races carded at the distance out west. He’s run 10 straight on turf at a mile, including wins in two Grade 3s at the distance. He’s run down the hill twice in his career, once each in 2022 and 2023, to poor results. This may be a way for the connections to get one more race of this caliber before the calendar shifts to dirt-only Los Alamitos; or perhaps the connections are looking to Goliad’s success at the unorthodox Kentucky Downs, whose course features a bit of a downhill itself. We’ll let him beat us here.
Comment: reluctant toss.
4. Daniel’s Magic. 30/1 Jockey: Kyle Frey. Trainer: Eoin Harty.
Daniel’s Magic holds an unusual distinction at Santa Anita: he won consecutive races on the downhill course. Those two races, unfortunately, came in October 2023. He has won only once since then, in a flat turf sprint, also at Santa Anita. He’s still got speed - but he’s unlikely to pull the upset. Use him in exactas and trifectas to maximize value.
Comment: toss.
5. Stay Hot. 6/1. Jockey: Juan Hernandez. Trainer: Peter Eurton.
Stay Hot has won every race he’s contested down the hill - all one of them. He won the Baffle Stakes in February of 2024, before going on to longer races against stiffer competition. He’s been off since December, but I like this spot for him a lot: top rider Juan Hernandez keeps the mount, and trainer Peter Eurton brings horses back off this type of layoff at 15%. Stay Hot’s most recent runs have all been over flat courses; this may a touch too much to ask this early in the form cycle.
Comment: toss.
6. Lovesick Blues. 10/1. Jockey: Geovanni Franco. Trainer: Librado Barocio.
Lovesick Blues is a gamer, having finished in the top 3 all but once in his last 9 races. His last two trips down the hill have resulted in good checks, but not in wins. It’s going to be difficult to overcome this quality of a field, but with so many close calls, he’s tough to leave out of exotic wagers. To trainer Libardo Barocio’s credit, since the move to his barn, he’s had Lovesick Blues in mega-competitive spots, and has kept him on the turf for the duration. The owners are the real beneficiaries of his good decision-making.
Comment: use in exactas and trifectas.
7. Motorious. 6/5. Jockey: Antonio Fresu. Trainer: Phil D’Amato.
Winner of four graded stakes, Motorious comes in the obvious class, and obvious favorite. We’ve yet to see him in 2025, but he spent 2024 picking off stakes races and amassing almost $400,000 in purse money. Now 7-years-old, his connections will look for a repeat of 2024, and 2023 for that matter; there’s no reason on paper or in the workouts to think he won’t run huge.
Comment: most likely winner.
8. Watsonville. 30/1. Jockey: Kazushi Kimura. Trainer: Mark Glatt.
Watsonville adds yet another stakes winner to the field, and will compete for the first time in 2025 in this rendition of the Daytona. He’s never tried the hill, but he did win the Grade 2 Mathis Mile, also at Santa Anita. He’s a stalking type, which can be helpful in flat races; he’ll need to show more natural speed if he’s going to get a good check here. He’s a capable runner, and look for him at Del Mar; I think he’s out of depth here.
Comment: toss.
The Sporting Tribune Wager:
$3 Turf Pick 3, starts race 8 ($30): 1,2,4,6,7 / 1,7 / 8.
Good luck!