Racing At Santa Anita With Marc Doche: Back To the Future With Track Issues

After the first three-day break of the meet, we begin a four-day race week at Santa Anita with uncertainty over the condition of the newly installed dirt main track.

Training was ended early this morning so trucks could work on an area passed the finish line and almost to the clubhouse turn. 

This scheduled maintenance will hopefully alleviate drainage problems that have plagued Santa Anita’s main track for decades and caused numerous race days to be canceled in recent years over the synthetic track, which had been installed mainly for safety reasons.

Through the first week of the meet, seven horses have suffered various injuries during races, while during the same period last year with the synthetic track there were none.

Let’s hope these issues do not affect the racing moving forward.

Short fields in the first couple of races of the day should lead to short-priced winners, so we’ll take a crack at finding value in a late pick 4 sequence where the average field size is nine.

We’re off to the races!

Best Bet of the Day  

Race 3 - #8 Bella Roja (4/1 ML) – This six-year-old daughter of Hold That Tiger flew late to win first off a six-month layoff and she’s likely to be better second time out.

She won going down this turf course second out a year ago and then ran a nice third against much tougher in a stakes race in her only other start on this course.

Claimed for $62,500 by Doug O’Neill, she has the class edge over this bunch and should be your favorite, not third choice on the morning line.

Late Pick 4

Leg 1 – Race 5 (7) – A maiden allowance race going a mile on the turf for California-breeds with four of the eight runners being daughters of Unusual Heat.

No. 7 Bitt a Heat closed nicely after breaking from the rail in her return races, sprinting six furlongs at Hollywood Park against open company. The second race of her career going long on the lawn stamps her as the logical winner on our single.

Leg 2 – Race 6 (1,2,4,7,9) – Five deep in this six and a half furlong main track sprint should have us covered.

Leg 3 - Race 7 (1,2,3,4) – A mile and an eighth on turf in today’s featured optional claimer for older horses and we’ll go four deep.

No. 1 Get A Grip barely missed in his last two against stakes type horses and stays fit with three works in the interim.

No. 2 Tiz Argent gets back on the lawn after a disappointing sprint on synthetic. His late turn of foot should suit him well at this longer distance.

No. 3 Sporting Act also just missed in his last two and goes third off the layoff for Mike Mitchell.

No. 4 Yodelen Dan loves this course and distance and is as honest as ever at the ripe old age of eight.

Leg 4 – Race 8 (5,6,8,9) – We close out with slow females who have never won two races and we’ll count on one of the top four choices on the morning line to bring us home.

Recap – (7) w (1,2,4,7,9) w (1,2,3,4) w (5,6,8,9) – Total cost of ticket = $80

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @mdoche for last minute changes caused by scratches and much more.

Good luck!