Santa Anita guide: Opening-day odds, PPs, more for Malibu
The Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu anchors a stakes-heavy, 11-race, opening-day card celebrating the 90th anniversary of Santa Anita.
Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, in his first start since the Belmont Stakes, is one of the eight 3-year-olds who will do battle over seven furlongs on the main track.
Post time for the Malibu Stakes, race 8 of 11, is 5:36 p.m. EST. FanDuel TV will show the race live.
Check out Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page for downloadable PPs for the Malibu and more, courtesy of our partners at Brisnet.
We also have Super Screener picks and analysis for the Malibu as well as recent top speed figures for each contender.
Best speed figures
| Horse | Morn. line | Beyer* | Brisnet | TimeformUS | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bentornato | 3-1 | 102 | 106 | 126 | 110 |
| 2. Pilot Commander | 6-1 | 97 | 101 | 117 | 102 |
| 3. Winterfell | 15-1 | 97 | |||
| 4. Senior Officer | 5-1 | 94 | 91 | 106 | 99 |
| 5. Imagination | 12-1 | 99 | 97 | 119 | 98 |
| 6. Mystik Dan | 5-2 | 101 | 102 | 118 | 104 |
| 7. Stronghold | 8-1 | 92 | 99 | 115 | 100 |
| 8. Raging Torrent | 9-2 | 104 | 107 | 124 | 110 |
| *Daily Racing Form |
Looking at the pace
Bentornato and Raging Torrent are expected to vie for control in the Malibu through moderate fractions.
Pace projector appears courtesy of TimeformUS.
HRN picks
Mike Shutty’s Super Screener has identified a live long shot in Thursday's Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes at Santa Anita in 6-1 J B Strikes Back.
“This is a 3-year-old gelding getting good at the right time as he continues to mature,” Shutty said. “While we have seen the best of the older horses in this field, J B Strikes Back is trained by Doug O’Neill and offers a lot of upside."
Check out our $97 deal and get Super Screener each week plus Power Picks and Horses to Single reports every day up until Kentucky Derby 2025.
Ed DeRosa has Malibu fair odds. He believes the value lies with either Pilot Commander or Raging Torrent as Mystik Dan figures to get overbet.
For more Malibu Stakes analysis, check out Matt Shifman’s free picks.
DeRosa also has La Brea (G1) fair odds, and he sees One Magic Philly as the best alternative to likely favorite Hope Road in the showcase for 3-year-old fillies at 6:40 p.m. EST.
J. Keeler Johnson’s latest Horses to Watch column is excited about the return of both Mystik Dan and Tamara on Thursday.
Cherie DeVaux took HRN on a Barn Tour highlighted by her discussion of She Feels Pretty’s chances in Thursday’s American Oaks (G1) at 7:12 p.m. EST.