Monday’s Best Bet: Elegant can be successful at Santa Anita

Monday’s seventh race at Santa Anita is an optional-claiming event for 3-year-old fillies dashing six furlongs on the turf course. The scheduled post time is 6:42 p.m. EST.

Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.

Bob Baffert does not have great stats with his turf starters, but no. 2 Elegant (3-1) might have the tactical edge. She chased from second and graduated over a next-out winner in a turf sprint Jan. 1 and dueled through quick splits before fading in the Sweet Life Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf course Feb. 11. This is an easier spot, and the race shape might be to her liking.

No. 7 April Vintage (7-2) set the pace in the Blue Norther at one mile on turf Dec. 29, and she faded in the lane as a 42-1 outsider. She turns back, adds Lasix and attracts Flavien Prat, and she figures to attend the pace.

No. 5 She Is Romantic (7-2) stretched out and graduated in a turf route last fall and had early problems and was unplaced in the Jimmy Durante (G3) in December. She bounced back with a runner-up finish in an optional-claiming turf route Jan. 20, she adds Lasix, and she attracts Frankie Dettori.

No. 3 Ms Brightside (5-1) beat a dozen rivals in her turf-sprint bow in Ireland and shipped to the states and split a 10-horse field in the Jimmy Durante her second time out. She stalked and raced evenly in the same race She Is Romantic exited. She is back in a turf sprint, and Antonio Fresu got acquainted with her last time. 

Get Jarrod’s Santa Anita analysis.

Wagers

No. 2 to win

Exacta box 2-7

Trifecta 2-7/2-3-5-7/2-3-5-7

Recent Best Bet winners

Feb. 13 – Ova Charged ($7.60), exacta ($20.20)
Feb. 15 – First Peace/Beef Winslow exacta ($14.80)
Feb. 16 – Teen Drama/Paleo’s Princess/New Collection trifecta ($73.40)
Feb. 18 – Big Pond ($4.00), trifecta ($34.40)
Feb. 19 – Miracle Worker ($6.80)
Feb. 24 – Octane/Magic Tap exacta ($40.20)
Friday – Princess of Time ($5.80), exacta ($11.80)
Sunday – Du Jour/Easter exacta ($28.20)