Santa Anita Park Horse Racing Picks for Saturday 5/29/21
It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 4:00 p.m. EST, we have nine 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 monitor 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.)
Bombard, Race 5
FanDuel Racing Odds: 6/5
Race 5 is the $100K Grade III Daytona Stakes for older horses going 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf. numberFire's data show the two favorites in the five-horse field will decide the race. Law Abidin Citizen (8/5) has four wins at the distance, according to Horse Racing Radar (HRR), but makes his 2021 debut off a nine-month layoff.
Also, HRR notes that Bombard (6/5) has hit the board in 8-of-9 Santa Anita starts with four wins. The son of War Front missed the money in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last November and finished second in his 2021 debut last month in an Allowance race with a strong 116 speed figure. Bombard has tactical speed, top speed figures and will be forwardly placed with leading jockey Flavien Prat riding for top trainer Richard Mandella.
United, Race 7
FanDuel Racing Odds: 3/5
Race 7 is the $200K Grade II Charles Whittingham Stakes on the turf. The 1 1/4 mile race drew just four runners, and numberFire projects United (3/5) to top Red King (8/5) and the speed horse in the field, two-time graded winner Acclimate (6/1).
United has been the top distance turf horse in California for the past 18 months. He has three wins a second- and a third-place finish at the distance, according to Guaranteed Tip Sheet, who also has him winning the race. The recommendation is to use him in the rolling Pick 3s, as there will be a very small win payoff for either top favorite. United won this race last year and has Flavien Prat riding again for trainer Richard Mandella.
Top turf jockey Umberto Rispoli rides Red King, who was a two-time graded winner last year and now runs without Lasix for the first time since 2016.
Lambeau and Eight Rings, Race 8
FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/2 and 9/5
Race 8 is the $200K Grade II Triple Bend Stakes for older horses racing 7 furlongs. numberFire's algorithm projects Shooters Shoot (4/1) to upset Eight Rings (9/5), and they also project Exaulted (4/1) to hit the board and finish in the money.
Guaranteed Tip Sheet says Lambeau (5/2) will be on or near the lead and could win the race on the front end in his stakes debut. He won an Allowance race in his 2021 debut last month and has set the pace in all six of his dirt starts.
Shooters Shoot and stablemate Exaulted will likely be rolling late from off the pace, as Shooters Shoot did in winning an Allowance race last month at long odds for trainer Peter Eurton.
Eight Rings has the back class but has not race since last August. Top trainer in controversy Bob Baffert has him sharp in May training with bullet workouts. Baffert will send his other runner, Magic On Tap (7/2), to the front to challenge Lambeau and try to wear him down. Flavien Prat rides Eight Rings.
