Free: Daily double play for Santa Anita on Sunday, Jan. 18

ARCADIA, Calif. – On a Santa Anita card with apparently limited overlays, the best way to fashion multi-race wagers Sunday is to limit the downside.

Shoot for the moon? Nope. Most lower-odds entrants (not all) enter without a knock. The low-payoff expectation is sufficient reason to keep the outlay low. It’s a good day to “bet a little to win a little.” A pair of daily doubles is the extent of the action, $20 total.

The possibility of a vulnerable favorite in race 1 makes the first double appealing – more so because the key horse in race 2 is a non-favorite.

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Race 1

SPY GIRL (#3) is the logical favorite in this sprint for older maiden fillies and mares. But “probable winner” does not always mean best value. Spy Girl is not the type of maiden who can be trusted.

Spy Girl has weakened the final furlong all six starts. At 6 1/2 furlongs, the Sunday stretch will be daunting. Perhaps she will keep running. But at 6-5 odds, the distance-challenged filly is a favorite to take a stand against.

One reason her odds are short is the absence of a logical second choice. It is not a strong field, though only one starter appears to be a toss. That is INSCRIPTION (#6).

The daily double will use “all” minus the favorite and the no-hoper. Runners to include are LINDY HOPPIN (#1), FOURTH STREET (#2), TALE OF PAPA NICK (#4), JEAN EDWARD (#5), and SEEK A STAR (#7).

Race 2

It was surprising to see WASTED AT MIDNIGHT (#3) not listed as the favorite. From this corner, she looks like a standout. Her up-close style suits the likely pace, she has a series of solid workouts, and she figures to fire first start back at 3-1. She is the key.

The favorites are not impossible, but GLOBAL HOTTIE (#5) comes from a stable that is uncharacteristically cold; KOOL KAT (#6) is a deep closer in a field without much speed.

The bet: $2 daily double

Race 1: Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
Race 2: No. 3

That is a $10 play.

The second double is the last and comes on races 8 and 9.

Race 8

LADY PIMPERNEL (#7) is favored without a serious knock, but she is hardly infallible. She won by only a nose last time in a similar turf stakes for fillies and mares.

KITTEN’S POINT (#2) has faced better, and has an alibi (off poorly) for her recent debacle. SCOOTER BIRD (#1) and LADY OF GOLD (5) will appreciate the stretch to 1 1/2 miles; PRACTISING (#6) is first off the claim by a winning stable.

The bottom line is the $75,000 Astra Stakes is a “spread” race using those five.

Race 9

PRACTICAL (#11) looks like a standout in the finale. His stable is rolling, he drops in class, he will be forwardly placed, and he should be long gone in a $20,000 maiden claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs. Practical is the key.

The bet: $2 daily double

Race 8: Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7
Race 9: No. 11

Like the first double, the late double is a $10 play. Total investment on a sleepy Sunday card is $20.