Bernier: How I'll play Santa Anita for Saturday, June 18

There’s no question that Saturday’s card at Santa Anita is highlighted by the return of undefeated 2-year-old champion Songbird in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other races that may present intriguing wagering scenarios. Here are a few horses and races I’m interested in Saturday.

Race 5: Many people will be keying in on Phil D’Amato’s runner, VINZ CLORTHO (3), in this seven-furlong maiden special weight affair, however I’m most interested in the horse breaking from the outside for Ron Ellis, SENSE OF GLORY (8). Sense of Glory broke slow in his debut here on May 7 but came on nicely with a belated run. He may not be one of the likeliest winners of this event, but he can certainly be used in exotics to help out with prices. I’ll be keying him in exactas and trifectas throughout.

Race 6: The Rainbow will be one of the final two stakes races to be contested over the existing turf course, and it’s a wide-open affair for 3-year-olds. ARCATURE (6) is likely to go off favored in this field of 11, and while he’s one of the likelier win candidates, his depressed value does nothing to entice me. On the flipside, PRINCE OF ARABIA (2) is a horse that, at face value, looks overmatched on turf. When you dig a bit deeper, you see that there are some things to like here at a giant price. First and foremost, his lone turf try was contested over a turf course that was much deeper than what it’s listed, and he had every right to tire down the lane. His pedigree would suggest that grass is what he has wanted all along, and trainer Jim Cassidy is choosing an interesting spot for him to make his second lifetime start on turf. At a huge number, he’s a horse that you can fool around with in exotics.

Race 7: TENGAS RANSOM (1) is the kind of horse I love to see in the past performances – a horse that always takes money and always finds a way to lose. He’s likely to take a sizable amount of money again, and I’ll be using him, but only underneath. The two horses I’m most interested in are LOST DUTCHMAN (9) and COUNTURLUCKYSTARS (3). Lost Dutchman showed nice early speed in his debut before fading on Dec. 27, and now O’Neill adds blinkers. A move forward with the new equipment makes him very dangerous. Counturluckystars is a first-time starter for trainer Bruce Headley, and over the past four years with first time starters at Santa Anita, Headley is 6 for 28 with a return on investment of $4.37. When you add jockey Edwin Maldonado to the equation, the numbers become 3 for 7 with an ROI of $5.02. The work tab appears consistent, and if this son of Cyclotron can do any running, he’ll be interesting at a price.