Best Bet: Newgrange should pull through in San Pasqual
Saturday’s eighth race at Santa Anita Park is the Grade 2, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes for 4-year-olds and up traveling 1 1/8 miles on the main track. The scheduled post time is 7:10 p.m. EST.
Click here for Santa Anita Park entries and results.
No. 6 Newgrange (3-1) attracts Juan Hernandez and should work out a decent tactical trip. He captured both of his starts at Santa Anita, and he is fresh and ready to roll. He was excellent in a local front running victory at one mile Nov. 6, and regressed three weeks later in an even show finish in the Native Diver Stakes (G3) at Del Mar.
No. 1 Hopper (5-2) is interesting in his first start in more than seven months for Bob Baffert. He was no threat in his turf sprint bow last February. He moved to dirt and smartly graduated in a local seven panel special weight affair second time out, and stretched out and easily wired the field in the Affirmed Stakes (G3) when last seen. He removes blinkers and is firing bullets for this, and he might be the one to catch from the inside post under Edwin Maldonado.
No. 9 Messier (6-1) did not pick up his feet in his last two sprint tries. He did show some very late interest in the Malibu Stakes (G1) last time, and getting back around two turns might help. Kent Desormeaux hops aboard for Baffert, and he fits with these if he can somehow rediscover his Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and Santa Anita Derby (G1) form.
No. 2 Tripoli (4-1) has not won since the 2021 Pacific Classic (G1). He should work out a decent inner stalking trip under his new pilot Kazushi Kimura.
Get Jarrod's Santa Anita analysis.
Wagers
No. 6 to win
Exacta box 1-6
Trifecta 1-6/1-2-6-9/1-2-6-9
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