Best Bet: Masteroffoxhounds can shake loose in Whittingham
Saturday’s fifth race at Santa Anita is the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes for 4-year-olds and up traveling 1 1/4 miles on the turf course. The scheduled post time is 5:02 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.
No. 6 Masteroffoxhounds (5-2) pressed the pace and failed to quicken when finishing off the board in the Kilroe Mile on March 4. I am not too concerned about that effort. He is not a miler. The 10-panel specialist won the local San Marcos at this distance in 2021 and captured the John Henry Turf at this course and distance last fall. He has hit the board in multiple turf-stakes routes including the 2021 San Luis Rey and the 2022 Charles Whittingham, Shoemaker Mile, Seabiscuit and San Gabriel. He picked up another stakes placing in the 2023 San Marcos. He should be in the hunt throughout under Umberto Rispoli.
No. 7 Gold Phoenix (2-1) returned in the Kilroe Mile on March 4, and Phil D’Amato’s consistent gelding pulled off the 10-1 upset that day. He landed the show in this event last year and has no problem with longer distances.
No. 3 Midnight Jostar (4-1) will try to make it a Phil D’Amato trifecta. The relatively consistent gelding returned with sharp allowance score at this course and distance under Kent Desormeaux on March 9.
Wagers
No. 6 to win
Exacta box 6-7
Trifecta 6-7/3-6-7/3-6-7
Recent Best Bet winners
March 25 – West Will Power ($7.20), exacta ($15.60)
March 27 – Tiergarten/Precocious Times/Cheekiest trifecta ($89.80)
Wednesday – Ego Man ($4.80), exacta ($21.80), trifecta ($39.80)