HORSE RACING

Santa Anita Park Horse Racing Picks for Sunday 3/7/21

It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.

Starting at 3:30 p.m. EST, we have 9 races at Santa Anita Park. Using numberFire’s projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.

As always, check the program for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.

(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions.)

Moraz, Race 4

FanDuel Racing Odds: 9/5

Race 4 is the $100K Grade III Santa Ysabel for three-year-old fillies, and it's going 1 1/16 miles. The race is a qualifier for the Kentucky Oaks and offers 50-20-10-5 points to the top-four finishers. The top picks by numberFire’s data are the three favorites in order -- Kalypso (8/5), Moraz (9/5) and Beautiful Gift (5/2).

Kalypso won the Grade II Santa Ynez in January as the favorite and then ran her fastest race with a 99 speed figure when finishing second last month in the Grade III Las Virgenes. She carried the lead through three-quarters but came up short, but she was more than 1 length in front of third-place finisher Moraz, who was making her stakes debut. Leading trainer Bob Baffert trains Kalypso, Beautiful Gift and Heels Up (9/2), who has finished in the money in all three starts, with her last race a third-place showing in a minor stakes in November. Beautiful Gift makes her stakes debut, breaking her maiden last race in October.

Sensible Cat and Majestic Steps, Race 5

FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/1 and 8/5

Race 5 is an Allowance race for three-year-old fillies going 1 mile on the turf. numberFire's algorithm projects Sensible Cat (4/1) to outduel Carp Fortuna (3/1). Those two break from the inside posts, and favorite Majestic Steps (8/5) is just outside them with top turf jockey Umberto Rispoli riding for EPO trainer Phil D’Amato.

Guaranteed Tip Sheet has a best bet on Majestic Steps, who broke her maiden in January, sprinting home in fast fractions, and then finished fourth as the favorite at the same 6 furlongs in her stakes debut last month. She checked twice in the turn and was slowed but still finished strong.

Sensible Cat is well bred and won a pair of races to close 2020. She finished fifth in her stakes debut in January as the favorite in a tough trip, going wide after stumbling at the start. Absolute Scenes (4/1) is working sharply for her 2021 debut, winning overseas and finishing seventh here in her US debut in December against a stronger group going 1 mile. Can’t discount with Johnny V riding for EPO trainer Richard Baltas.

Acai and Ole Silver, Race 9

FanDuel Racing Odds: 7/2 and 4/1

Race 9 Starter Allowance for older fillies and mares sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf. The favorite and top pick of both numberFire and Guaranteed Tip Sheet is the favorite, Lady Noguez (5/2) with Rispoli riding. She’s won just 1-of-16 starts but did finish runner-up in her 2021 debut here with a 96 speed figure. She’s an off-the-pace runner who will likely have to catch Acai (7/2), who did not fire last race but finished third here in January and lost by a nose sprinting in November.

Secret Square (6/1) and Navy Queen (8/1) have been big longshots in recent races without success, and Ole Silver (4/1) may be a better option off of her fastest race (86 speed figure) in January, when rallying to finish runner-up just in front of Acai.