Opening Day at Santa Anita Park!

The day after Christmas is here!

That means opening day of the winter/spring meet at Santa Anita Park.

In my opinion, Santa Anita Park is one of the most spectacular race tracks in the country and in the world. Not only is it one of the premier race tracks in the country for quality of racing, but it is also one of the most beautiful. One of the natural beauties are the San Gabriel Mountains which make for a picture-perfect backdrop during the morning workouts as well as during the racing hours in the afternoons. I highly suggest to make it out during the early morning hours out at Santa Anita to watch the horses workout while taking in the scenic view from Clockers' Corner.

America's best racing will definitely be on display today at Santa Anita with the running of the GI La Brea, the GII Sir Beaufort and the GI Malibu. All three of those stakes have good quality fields that will make each of those races competitive for each of the participants as well as for the horseplayers who are trying to pick the winners. In the 40th running of the La Brea, race 4, My Miss Aurelia will be heavily favored after finishing second in the Breeders Cup Ladies Classic in her last start. She shows two good workouts over the Santa Anita surface in preparation for this and take note that she earned her career best beyer speed figure in that last effort while suffering her first career defeat in seven lifetime starts. Will she win easily? Let's tune in to find out.

Even though 2013 is not here yet, this opening day at Santa Anita Park always gives you the feeling of a fresh start for a new calendar of racing.

Are you ready for Thoroughbred racing at The Great Race Place?

My Selections:

Race 1:  4-9-7
Race 2:  2-11-10
Race 3:  1-12-3
Race 4:  5-1-7        The GI $300,000 La Brea
Race 5:  7-3-6        The GII $150,000 Sir Beaufort
Race 6:  12-6-7
Race 7:  5-2-8
Race 8:  2-4-3        The GI $300,000 Malibu
Race 9:  12-8-4

My Plays:

Race 1-.50 Cent Pick Five ($48):  4,9 / 2,10,11 / 1 / 1,5 / All

Race 6-.50 Cent Pick Four ($36):  3,6,7,9,12,13 / 2,5,8 / 2,3,4,9 / 12

Good Luck with your plays!

Stay tuned to my twitter @LosPonies for more plays throughout the day as well as photos from Santa Anita!

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GI Southern California Derby & $54,345 Pick Six Carryover

The final day of the meet at Los Alamitos Race Course is upon us. The GI Southern California Derby will close out the card with 3-year-olds going 400 yards. The fastest qualifier and deserving favorite #4 Check My Thoughts will be the one to deny in the last Grade I event of the year here at Los Alamitos.

Today also marks the last of the daylight cards with a first post set for 2pm pacific.

While racing is set to resume next weekend, there is a mandatory payout in the pick six because of the end of the 2011-2012 calendar meet. That means that the $54,345 that are sitting in the carryover pot plus all the of the new money that gets bet in will be paid out. Take a shot!

While I always share photos and videos of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, many people have never experienced the sights and sounds of Quarter Horses breaking from the gate. Thoroughbreds tend to take a few strides out of the gate to settle into pace while Quarter Horses are speed specialists. Here is a video I shot yesterday at Los Alamitos. Enjoy!

Today's selections:

Race 1:  7-9-10
Race 2:  3-8-2
Race 3:  6-1-4
Race 4:  8-2-5
Race 5:  2-6-5
Race 6:  5-4-1
Race 7:  2-4-3
Race 8:  6-5-2
Race 9:  4-3-7

My Plays:

Race 1-$1 Early Pick Four ($27):  7 / 2,3,8 / 1,4,6 / 2,5,8

Race 4-$2 Pick Six ($54):  2,5,8 / 2,5,6 / 1,4,5 / 2 / 6 / 4

Race 6-$1 Late Pick Four ($27):  1,4,5 / 2,3,4 / 6 / 3,4,7

Good Luck!
Stay tuned to my twitter @LosPonies for more Exacta, Trifecta & Superfecta plays. Pictures too!

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First Down Dash Handicap & $28,740 Pick Six Carryover

The daylight racing at Los Alamitos Race Course continues through today and Sunday. Remember that first post is set for 2pm Pacific.

Another competitive card is on tap on this Saturday afternoon of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing in Cypress California. The nine-race program features the running of The First Down Dash Handicap at 400 yards which will go off as race 9 on the card. The pick fours at Los Alamitos continue to prove why they are the best bet in racing (Friday's early pick four paid over $4,000 and the late pick four paid over $1,000), but there is also a nice $28,740 up for grabs today in the pick six carryover.

One of the toughest legs is Race 4, which ends the early pick four and begins the pick six, a competitive field of nine will sprint 300 yards. In this field of nine, there are four runners that are coming off a win in their last out and also another four runners that are dropping in class and have faced much better competition in the past. Sounds fun right?

Well that's what makes handicapping racing fun and competitive. Being able to study a race and coming up with the winner is what makes this sport great. The best thing about it is that if you miss a race, the next one is only minutes away to give it another try.

Had a great day yesterday with the exotics and the rolling pick-3's. Let's try to keep it going today.

Race 1:  4-6-8
Race 2:  8-7-5
Race 3:  1-3-7
Race 4:  2-8-9
Race 5:  2-3-8
Race 6:  7-3-8
Race 7:  2-5-3
Race 8:  7-3-6
Race 9:  3-7-10

My Plays:

Race 1-$1 Early Pick Four ($20):  3,4,5,6,8 / 8 / 1 / 2,3,8,9

Race 4-$2 Pick Six ($64):  2,3,8,9 / 2,3 / 3,7 / 2 / 3,7 / 3

Race 6-$1 Late Pick Four ($12):  3,7 / 2 / 3,7 / 3,7,10

Good Luck!

Stay tuned to my twitter @LosPonies for more on the spot Exactas, Trifectas and Superfectas.

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Friday: 2pm Post Time & $17,571 Pick Six Carryover

Hope the Mayans were wrong.

If they were, we have some special daytime racing at Los Alamitos Race Course!

Betfair Hollywood Park concluded their meet this past week and since Santa Anita Park does not begin until the day after Christmas, Los Alamitos got the approval from the California Horse Racing Board to conduct this weekend of racing at a special post time of 2pm pacific.

Friday's program at Los Alamitos features a nine race card that will have some additional buzz in the air due to the $17,571 accumulated in the pick six carryover. The pick six is set to begin in the fourth race. There are a total of three Thoroughbred events and six Quarter Horse events in the card. The early pick four looks very competitive and should attract a healthy pool given the time of day and the number of entrants in each leg (9,9,8,8).

Let's get to the selections and plays.

Race 1:  8-9-5
Race 2:  4-8-3
Race 3:  6-3-4
Race 4:  3-7-8
Race 5:  1-3-5
Race 6:  4-6-7
Race 7:  1-7-2
Race 8:  7-6-3
Race 9:  8-6-7

My Plays:

Race 1 - $1 Early Pick Four ($27):  5,8,9 / 3,4,8 / 3,4,6 / 3

Race 4 - $2 Pick Six ($54):  3 / 1,3,5 / 4,6,7 / 1,2,7 / 7 / 8

Race 6 - $1 Late Pick Four ($18):  4,6,7 / 1,2,7 / 6,7 / 8

Let's have some fun and cash some winners! I'll be live on track this weekend, keep an eye out on my twitter feed @LosPonies for more plays and updates.

Good Luck!

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Champion of Champions night!

Before we get into the action at Los Alamitos, we have a great card at Betfair Hollywood Park featuring the Hollywood Turf Cup and the Cash Call Futurity. Both of those races are filled with contenders and that will make for an interesting late pick four sequence. Stay tuned to my twitter feed for my late pick-4 play, I will be live at Hollywood Park.

Then later on tonight I will also be live at Los Alamitos Race Course which is about a 30 minute drive from Hollywood Park.

Tonight is the night where ten runners will sprint the classic Quarter Horse distance of 440 yards in the nation's most prestigious race for older horses, The GI $750,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos Race Course. This race is one of the toughest fields I have ever seen assembled in this event. I decided on my top choice to be #4 Hez Our Secret. He seems to be peaking at the right moment and stepped up with a good looking win in the Z Wayne Griffin Trials last out.

I will be on the Los Alamitos simulcast signal tonight at about 5:30pm giving my selections along with Track Announcer Ed Burgart and Curtis Treece (Equibase Chart Caller).

Sunday night's feature race at Los Alamitos is the running of the $2 Million Futurity. The Champions Double wager is being offered tonight which features The Champion of Champions and The $2 Million Futurity (Sunday). My pick for the $2 Million is #5 The August Heat.

My Champions Double Wager: $20 Double of #4 Hez Our Secret / #5 The August Heat

Our late pick-4 last night of $24 hit for a nice return of $339.60

Let's get to the selections for tonight's card:

Race 1:  9-3-2
Race 2:  1-3-4
Race 3:  6-7-5
Race 4:  4-3-1
Race 5:  1-5-2
Race 6;  6-7-5
Race 7:  1-2-4
Race 8:  3-5-6
Race 9;  4-9-8

My Plays:

Race 1 - $1 Early Pick Four ($24):  9 / All / 5,6,7 / 4

Race 6 - $1 Late Pick Four ($32):  2,3,5,7 / 1,2 / 3 / 4,7,8,9

Good Luck!

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Paul B Ford Memorial Handicap

We have a great weekend of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing ahead of us here in Southern California. At Betfair Hollywood Park we have the $250,000 GII Hollywood Turf Cup and $750,000 GI The Cash Call Futurity on Saturday, and at Los Alamitos we have the $750,000 GI Champion of Champions (Saturday) and the $2,108,275 GI Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity (Sunday). I will be on the Los Alamitos simulcast signal on Saturday evening giving my selections before the races. I will join Track Announcer Ed Burgart and Curtis Treece (Equibase Chart Caller).

Tonight's card at Los Alamitos features The Paul B Ford Memorial Handicap at the distance of 550 yards down the stretch. The Paul B Ford will go as Race 9 on the card. There is some light rain coming down here in the area and we might have a wet track at post time. The speed on the Thoroughbred races tonight will be tough to beat if the track remains wet (Races 1,3,5). The pick four pools have been solid and I expect some good opportunities to catch some prices tonight. Jump in on the action, do not get shut out. Let's get to the selections. 7pm Pacific post time.

Race 1:  3-1-2
Race 2:  1-7-5
Race 3:  2-3-6
Race 4:  5-9-2
Race 5:  4-3-2
Race 6:  5-4-7
Race 7:  4-7-8
Race 8:  6-2-4
Race 9:  8-7-6

My Plays:

Race 1 - $1 Early Pick Four ($32):  1,2,3,8 / 1,3,5,7 / 2 / 5,9

Race 6 - $1 Late Pick Four ($24):  5 / 4,7 / 2,4,6 / 3,6,7,8

Good Luck!

Stay tuned to my twitter feed @LosPonies, I will be live on track at Los Alamitos all weekend long and also at Betfair Hollywood Park on Saturday.

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Southern California Derby Trials

The trials to the last Grade I of the year at Los Alamitos Race Course are set to take place today when a total of 32 talented runners sprint 400 yards in search of being one of the ten fastest qualifiers that will return for the final. The Southern California Derby final will be run on Sunday December 23 under daylight because Los Alamitos is set to run daylight cards with a first post of 2PM Pacific on December 21-23.

The nine-race card today will be highlighted by the four trials to the Southern California Derby which will go as races 6-9. Those same races also compose the late pick four sequence which should provide some great betting opportunities. We have a good card on deck so let's get to the selections and plays.


Race 1:  1-7-5
Race 2:  1-2-5
Race 3:  4-5-3
Race 4:  5-7-2
Race 5:  3-4-5
Race 6:  2-1-3
Race 7:  1-4-8
Race 8:  1-3-8
Race 9:  8-5-3

My Plays:

Race 1 $1 Early Pick Four ($18):  1,7 / 1 / 3,4,5 / 2,5,7

Race 6 $1 Late Pick Four ($36):  2 / 1,4,8 / 1,3,4,8 / 3,5,8

Good Luck!

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Last Chance Bobby to break maiden?

Will Last Chance Bobby break his maiden? That is the question tonight Ladies and Gentlemen. We have a nine-race card at Los Alamitos and if you look at the first race, there is the 46-time maiden Last Chance Bobby in post position #1. He is a consistent check earner but has not been able to get his nose at wire first. I am actually picking him to win tonight, I think this is the field he can finally get it done.

Race 8 is the featured event tonight. A competitive field of seven two-year-olds will sprint 300 yards for a $10,000 claiming tag.

Let's get to the selections.

Race 1:  1-6-7
Race 2:  7-5-6
Race 3:  4-2-6
Race 4:  6-5-7
Race 5:  2-5-3
Race 6:  2-6-7
Race 7:  6-4-1
Race 8:  3-5-1
Race 9:  2-4-3

My Plays:

Race 1 $1 Early Pick Four ($21):  1 / 5,6,7 / 4 / All

Race 6 $1 Late Pick Four ($27):  2,6,7 / 6 / 1,3,5 / 2,3,4

Good Luck!

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