ARCADIA, Calif. -- It’s the calm before the storm this weekend at Santa Anita Park. Next Saturday, all the fanfare of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby will be on display: the winner of that race gets a spot in the Kentucky Derby.
This weekend, less. But the Wilshire Stakes offers a graded stakes chance to a quintet of runners, including the Jonathan Thomas trained, graded stakes winning Rashmi.
Let’s meet this field, and try to take down the early sequence. If you’re wagering on Santa Anita Park, check out AmWager! They have a 100% deposit match up to $150.
Grade 3 Wilshire. 1 Mile, Turf. Fillies & Mares 4+up. $100,000.
1. Rashmi. 3/5. Jockey: Kazushi Kimura. Trainer: Jonathan Thomas.
Rashmi won the Grade 3 Megahertz last year, and followed it up with a near-miss in the Grade 2 Buena Vista. Jockey Kazushi Kimura picks up the mount today, and I think his riding style will fit in this spot.
Comment: most likely winner.
2. Antifona. 5/1. Jockey: Tiago Pereira. Trainer: Vladimir Cerin.
Antifona was last seen in the Wishing Well, a stakes for Cal-breds over 6 furlongs. She was charging hard at the end, so I imagine trainer Vladimir Cerin sees the move back to a mile as a logical next step. She’s a candidate to fill out the exacta, for sure.
Comment: exacta candidate.
3. Miss Artois. 3/1. Jockey: Juan Hernandez. Trainer: Richard Baltas.
There are a fair number of questions around Miss Artois, but there’s no denying she’s been highly competitive in her last 3 races. Her last race showed she can close into a pace, but with Rashmi likely inheriting the lead, it won’t be easy to run her down. Dropping lasix here is the final question, and a big enough one to leave her off the win line.
Comment: exacta candidate.
4. Hannah Buckle. 9/2. Jockey: Armando Ayuso. Trainer: Leonard Powell.
I thought Hannah Buckle’s effort last out in the Grade 3 Frankel was an admirable one, and one the connections I have to believe were excited about. She returns to graded company here, and I have her second in my handicapping. Nice mare, just a step slower than Rashmi.
Comment: exacta candidate.
5. Walk’n the Beach. 20/1. Jockey: Ricardo Gonzalez. Trainer: Jonathan Thomas.
Walk’n the Beach will likely go off at odds longer than 20/1, and I will agree with the general public.
Comment: toss.
The Sporting Tribune Wager:
$2 Early Pick 5, Starts Race 1 ($64): 1 / 1,5 / 1 / 3,4,5,6 / 1,3,5,8. Good Luck!