Free: How I'd play Santa Anita on Sunday, Oct. 11
ARCADIA, Calif. – Overlay possibilities Sunday at Santa Anita include a claiming filly in race 2, a first-time starter in race 3, and a maiden-claiming longshot in race 5. Those three are the focus of this handicapper’s plan of attack.
Race 2
ALOHA KE AKUA (7) had a ton of trouble in her most recent start two months ago at Del Mar, finishing sixth. She was claimed for $16,000 by trainer Bill Spawr. The race was a debacle for Aloha Ke Akua from the time the gates opened. Draw a line through it.
The 3-for-11 filly returns fresh, drops a notch, and gets an outside post and a beneficial rider switch. Also, her trainer does well with this type. The past year, Spawr is 7 for 20 first off the claim. At 4-1 in the program, Aloha Ke Akua is worth a straight bet.
Race 3
Wondering why LINDEZA (7) went for $500,000 at a 2-year-olds in training sale? Check out the video of her 9.80-second breeze at OBS April. It was outstanding.
Sired by Harlan’s Holiday (14 percent debut winners), Lindeza worked bullets in June, took time off in late spring-early summer, and returned with a series of sharp works into her Sunday debut.
“She’s fast,” Sadler said.
Indications are Lindeza is a good one.
While her 4-1 program odds may or may not hold up, the first-time starter enters the six-furlong maiden race for 2-year-old fillies with all the earmarks of a debut winner.
Race 5
SON OF ELEANOR (4) was supposed to more than a $20,000 maiden-claiming gelding. He was purchased at auction last spring for $52,000, which is high for a 2-year-old sired by Dixie Chatter. Son of Eleanor is a sibling to two-time stakes winner Heleonor Rugby.
Things did not work out well for Son of Eleanor, who did not finish anywhere close in his first four starts. But in his fifth and most recent start, he turned the corner.
Son of Eleanor produced his typical speed, pressed a fast pace, and this time kept running. He held third while earning the best Beyer Speed Figure of his career (63). His trainer, Molly Pearson, remains under-rated.
Maybe the effort by Son of Eleanor was a fluke. If so, he will finish nowhere Sunday. But if the 3-year-old gelding has finally learned how to be a racehorse, then his 8-1 morning line could be a gift.
The race 2 claiming filly Aloha Ke Akua, race 3 first-time starter Lindeza, and race 5 maiden-claimer Son of Eleanor will be the focus of this handicapper’s Sunday plan.