Bernier: How I'd play Santa Anita on Saturday, Jan. 3

The first two races Saturday at Santa Anita feature maidens – one group of claimers, another of special weight. I’ll look to play an early double and hopefully pad the bankroll for the rest of the day.

RACE 1

ALSTON (4) hasn’t done much running in either of his first two starts, but I’m hoping the addition of Lasix can help this son of Colonel John graduate in the opener. He doesn’t have to beat much in here, and we’ve seen in the past just how much the addition of Lasix can help a runner. I’ll also use MY CHARLIE BOY (10) in the opening leg of the wager, as this son of Kitten’s Joy drops in for a tag for the first time for Peter Miller. It’s also worth noting that this will be his first start as a gelding.

RACE 2

The second leg of the early double is an interesting maiden special weight affair, and it’s hard to ignore the potential powerhouse Bob Baffert will be sending out in THE MAN (7). This 3-year-old colt has been working consistently for quite some time now, and I love that he’s shown some of his best speed while working from the gate. If he runs the way he’s trained, the rest of the field is going to need to fire in a big way to take down this guy.

EARLY DOUBLE: Alston (4) and My Charlie Boy (10) with The Man (7)

RACE 8

I’m not suggesting he’s the best horse in the race or even close to the most likely winner, but I’m expecting SKYRING (8) to go off at a fair price in the Grade 2 San Gabriel. He’ll shed blinkers today in his second start off the long layoff, and I’m hopeful that Kieran Fallon can get him to the lead, drop the anchor, and try to get brave on the front end. In the event he can’t, I expect the two most logical horses to be running on late – TOM’S TRIBUTE (9) and BIG BANE THEORY (2). Accordingly, I’ll key Skyring on top and underneath in exactas, hoping the 6-year-old son of English Channel can spring the upset.

RACE 9

It’s quite rare that the feature on a card that contains two graded stakes events is the nightcap, but such is the case Saturday night … for me, anyway. BERNIER (3) makes her first career start for trainer Blake Heap, and regardless of the story behind her naming, you’d better believe I’ll have a buck or two (or 10 or 20) on her.