San Juan Capistrano fair odds: Thomas trains a tough pair

With trainer Jonathan Thomas entering a pair of horses in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano on Sunday at Santa Anita Park, their chances actually make me yearn for an era of coupled entries, as I think as a two-for-one proposition there would be some value.

Alas, coupled entries in graded stakes have gone the way of the dodo, and each is its own wagering entity in the closing-day feature, a 1 3/4-mile turf race at the great race place.

Mrs. Astor is the 8-5 morning line favorite and fair odds about in that range. A mare taking on males, Mrs. Astor gets some weight from a few contenders, has wins at both 1 3/8 miles and 1 1/2 miles and a pair of wins on this course. 

Still, Time Song is the more intriguing of the Thomas trainees in part because his speed intrigues me stretching out to this marathon distance, by U.S. standards. Jockey Hector Berrios is also the leading rider this year at Santa Anita on turf.

I'll be looking to play the all-Thomas exacta, and if Time Song is at least the fourth choice then expecting some win value and keyed in exotics with the other logicals drawn outside.

Those other logical horses include Divin Propos, whose Dinner Party was better than it suggests based on Ragozin data, and Balladeer, another forwardly placed type who sheds blinkers for this long journey.

The others are very unlikely to offer value.