Saturday's Best Bet: Newgrange is on a mission in Big 'Cap
Saturday’s twelfth race at Santa Anita is the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap for 4-year-olds and up traveling 1 1/4 miles on the main track. The scheduled post time is 8:31 p.m. EST.
Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.
No. 3 Newgrange (6-1) was my value top choice in the San Pasqual, and he delivered at 4-1 odds in that local 1 1/8-mile prep for this. He sat a nice stalking trip, started to idle like he sometimes does and found his stride again in the stretch to win by a length. Frankie Dettori is his new pilot, and he should sit a decent tactical trip. This 4-year-old colt probably still has some upside and is 3-for-3 at Santa Anita.
No. 8 Hopper (8-1) is lightly raced and still has upside for Bob Baffert. He cruised in the Affirmed in his first start vs. winners last June and was shelved for more than seven months after that victory. He resurfaced in San Pasqual on Jan. 28, and he set the pace and held the place as the beaten favorite. He attracts Mike Smith and should be fitter, and he figures to attempt a wire job in a race with a few early-pressing types. He took blinkers off last time, and they go right back on in this race.
No. 5 Defunded (7-2) has a good overall record in the stakes ranks. In eight dirt-route stakes attempts, he won the Awesome Again and Native Diver and landed the place in the Affirmed, Los Alamitos Derby, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pegasus World Cup. The sharp, early-pressing gelding gets the services of leading rider Juan Hernandez.
No. 6 Warrant (4-1) was my top choice in the 2022 renewal of this year, and he ran a fine race in a head defeat under Saturday’s pilot Flavien Prat. He tuned up for this with a solid, optional-claiming, dirt-route win at Fair Grounds on Jan. 26, and that was his first start in more than half a year.
No. 11 Proxy (4-1) has the class and speed ratings to win this. The fairly reliable, dirt-route performer won the Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs last fall, but he usually settles for minor awards in stakes races. He reconnects with John Velazquez, and he can stalk or close.
Get Jarrod’s Santa Anita analysis.
Wagers
No. 3 to win
Exacta box 3-8
Trifecta 3-5-8/3-5-6-8-11/6-11
Recent Best Bet winners
Feb. 7 – Nurturing ($10.60)
Feb. 8 – Her World/Only Kidding exacta ($15.40)
Feb. 9 – Stone Creator ($4.60), trifecta ($204)
Feb. 14 – Dreaming of Gerry/Good Culture exacta ($13.40)
Feb. 16 – Idiomatic/Polka Polenta/Maybe Later trifecta ($51.96)
Feb. 17 – Point and Shoot ($6.40)
Last Saturday – Yuugiri/Pretty Birdie/Hazy Command trifecta ($23.20)
Wednesday – Wupkar/Gigablast/G's Squeeze trifecta ($43.80)
Friday – Outright ($10.20), exacta ($36.00)