Hammersly: How I'd play Santa Anita on Sunday, June 7
One of my favorite plays in an attempt to make a lot with a little is the trifecta key. You find one horse on which to hinge your water and put five others underneath (for a $1 tri, that’s $20; for a $1 super, that’s $60). This also shows some confidence in your handicapping. You’re not blasting away with a bunch of horses on top, hoping you hit something. You’re identifying a horse you like and taking a stand.
Besides needing to take a stand, this move really only works in a good-sized field. Since the fields Sunday are light until the back end of the card, we’ll look there.
Race 7
WATER ISSUES (#8) looks spotted for action at a price. It’s because she figures a decent price that we’ll make this type of play even in a midsized field. First, she takes a significant drop for trainer Jeff Mullins, who has had ample success with multiple-level droppers like this. It’s noteworthy that Tyler Baze stays with her, too. She moves to dirt and sprinting. The last time she ran on dirt was here in October 2013, and she gamely earned her diploma. And she’s proven effective as a late-running sprinter.
I’ll key her on top of PAY THE DEBT (#2), WILDLY EXCESSIVE (#4), SENSATIONAL NIKKI (#6), IN DAD’S HONOR (#7), and LUST FOR LIFE (#8) for a $1 trifecta play ($20).
Race 8
KNOW PLANS (#7) may be sitting on a win. The Phil D’Amato trainee was gone for more than six months, but he’s come back with two sharp, rallying thirds sprinting on this hillside course recently. Those outings show he’s come back doing well and that he fits with these. Now D’Amato moves him back to a route, and this guy’s best work has come routing. In a competitive field, his price figures to be more than fair.
I’ll key him on top of CITY STATE (#2), THE LAST EXPRESS (#4), TURN ON THE PUMPS (#5), DURANGO FLIER (#6), and UNUSUALLY GREEN (#9) for a $1 trifecta play ($20). (As noted above, a $1 superfecta play singing him on top of five others costs $60, and in a big field like this, that play has appeal.)