Free: How I'd play Santa Anita for Sunday, Dec. 28

ARCADIA, Calif. – Both turf sprints Sunday at Santa Anita offer the possibility of low-odds overlays. That is not a misprint. Overlays do occasionally emerge at low odds.

Race 6 is a $40,000 claiming sprint; race 8 is a Grade 3 stakes. Both will be run on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita. If the morning line holds up, Snowday and Bettys Bambino are worth tinkering with.

Snowday was a Group 3 winner in France, imported to the United States in 2013. He flirted with good company, ran in a pair of graded stakes, but did not quite pan out. He was rumored to be a bleeder.

When the gelding dropped into a claiming race for the first time on Nov. 9, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer grabbed him. Snowday set a fast pace and finished second. He actually ran well enough to win. If he improves for Hollendorfer as expected, he will be tough to beat.

The past two winter meets at Santa Anita, Hollendorfer is 10 for 22 first off the claim. That powerful 45 percent rate is likely to increase in race 6 Sunday. Hollendorfer brings Snowday back at the same class level, in a race that should unfold at a slower tempo.

Snowday can be long gone as the most probable winner on the card. His morning line is 7-2. That is a fair price. Unfortunately from a betting perspective, he seems likely get bet below that number. If he starts below 3-1, Snowday would be an underlay.

Bettys Bambino is 3-1 in the Daytona, race 8. He is the sharpest horse in the field, and not favored. That is 5-2 shot Sweet Swap, stuck in the inside post.

Meanwhile, Bettys Bambino drew a cozy outside post (9 of 11). His two recent starts on the downhill layout were blowout allowance wins by more than four lengths and more than five lengths.

Bettys Bambino gets tested for class in the Daytona. The thing is, sprint “class” often is merely a product of speed. Bettys Bambino is fast (93 last-out Beyer), versatile, and fresh.

In his first start in two months and having been pointed specifically for the Daytona, Bettys Bambino is worth backing, or keying.

At 3-1 or higher, Snowday in race 6 and Bettys Bambino in race 8 will be low-odds overlays and the keys to this bettor’s Sunday afternoon.