HORSE RACING

​Santa Anita Horse Racing Picks for Monday 5/30/22

There are 10 races Monday at Santa Anita including three graded stakes. Which horses should you bet on at FanDuel Racing?

Starting at 4:00 p.m. EST, we have 10 races at Santa Anita Park. Using Santa Anita track projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets to make at FanDuel Racing.

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).

Royal Ship and Stilleto Boy, Race 4

FanDuel Racing Odds: 6/5 and 7/5
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Race 4 is the $400K Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles. There are just five runners lined up, and Royal Ship (6/5) and Stilleto Boy (7/5) are the favorites to beat.

Royal Ship (BZL) and Stilleto Boy are evenly matched, and Royal Ship won big in his recent comeback in a minor stakes. He finished second by a head in this race last year.

Stilleto Boy is in career-best form. The gelding won a Grade 2 recently in a race that lacked pace. There is no value on either runner, and an exacta doesn’t return much, either, but watch the tote board.

Smooth Like Straight and Count Again, Race 5

FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/5 and 5/2
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Race 5 is the $500K Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile with six runners going 1 mile on the turf. A mandatory payout in the pick six, and this race is the first leg. The Shoemaker Mile is also a "Win and You're In" for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile in November at Keeneland.

Top jockey Flavien Prat rides favorite Smooth Like Straight (4/5) while top East Coast jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. travels in to ride Count Again (5/2).

Smooth Like Straight is one of the country’s top turf milers, and he was runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile last fall. His recent race was a third-place finish by a neck in a Grade 1 race at Keeneland.

Count Again is a deep closer who won a Grade 1 over this track two races back. He’s the fastest finisher in the field for EPO trainer Phil D’Amato, who also trains Mastersoffox hounds (5/1) and Dance Some Mo (15/1).

Going Global and Going to Vegas, Race 10

FanDuel Racing Odds: 8/5 and 3/1
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Race 10 is the $400K Grade 1 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. Prat and Ortiz, Jr. battle again, riding Going Global (8/5) and Going to Vegas (3/1), respectively, with the less-than-favorable tactics of trainer Phil D’Amato conditioning both runners.

Going Global (IRE) had a visually impressive comeback to win a Grade 2 turf mile and now stretches out to a distance that she is 2-for-2. She’s the one to beat with sharp training-track workouts in place.

Going to Vegas has finished runner-up in her two recent races. She’s viable but doesn’t pack the burst of speed of Going Global.