Saturday's Best Bet: Warrens Candy Girl will star in Astra
Saturday’s eighth race at Santa Anita Park is the $100,000 Astra Stakes for fillies and mares traveling 1 1/2 miles on the turf course. The scheduled post time is 6:29 p.m. EST.
Click here for Santa Anita Park entries and results.
No. 1 Warrens Candy Girl (6-1) had an uncomfortable trip when splitting the field in the Robert Frankel Stakes on Dec. 31. She was sharp at Del Mar last summer including a nice win in the Solana Beach Stakes under Umberto Rispoli. She should save ground behind the speed.
No. 7 Tiz an Edventure (6-1) won six of her last seven starts for sharp Northern California trainer Jack Steiner. She exits a win in the Miss America Stakes on all-weather ground at Golden Gate, and she has stuck three times on turf. She will probably be forwardly placed in a pace puzzler, and she gets a stamina test in this spot.
No. 3 Queen Ofthe Temple (3-1) only has one victory and enjoys picking up minor awards. She easily graduated in a local 1 1/8 miles affair on turf last spring, and she landed the show in a couple of graded marathons. Juan Hernandez rode her once before, and she missed by a head that day.
No. 5 Australia Mia (5-2) had a nose for the wire in Chile. These South American imports frequently need time to acclimate to new surroundings, but this is hardly the saltiest event. She is a logical contender if she is ready to rumble in her first outing since July 2022. Frankie Dettori hops aboard.
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Wagers
No. 1 to win
Exacta 1-7/1-3-7
Trifecta 1-5-7/1-5-7/3
Recent Best Bet winners
Jan. 2 – Mr Fisk ($7.40), exacta ($29)
Jan. 3 – Recruiter ($4.60)
Jan. 5 – Broadway Boogie/Elle Est Forte/Bravo Kitten trifecta ($92.40)
Jan. 10 – Peach Perfect ($4.20), trifecta ($40)
Jan. 12 – Over the Channel ($6.40), trifecta ($106.20)
Wednesday – Mission of Joy ($3.80), exacta ($9.60)
Thursday – Dreamster/To a T/Adios Baby/Gitana Superfecta ($514)