King: Santa Anita play of the day for Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018

One of the more attractive wagering options to this horseplayer on Sunday at Santa Anita comes in the fourth race. There, Rapid Red offers form appeal, while the win struggles of some of his leading rivals make him shine even more.

Racing first time off the claim for trainer Doug O’Neill on Oct. 5, Rapid Red was much more prominent last out with blinkers, pressing the pace and holding second in a $32,000 claiming race. That effort earned him an 84 Beyer Speed Figure, a number marginally higher than the last-race figures of his opposition on Sunday.

His most recent start marked his sixth on-the-board finish from eight starts this year, including a pair of victories. Totaling up his numbers in 2017 and 2018, he has notched seven wins from 21 starts, which further points to him in the fourth.

By comparison, morning-line favorite Twentytwentyvision is 0 for 15 over that stretch, admittedly while facing better, and other leading prospects Comes the Dream and The Big Train are 1 for 7 and 1 for 12 in 2017-18.

Rapid Red is not a perfect play, largely because he is accustomed to running shorter than Sunday’s fourth race at 1 1/8 miles, but he should have a tactical advantage by being near a slow pace, so I am willing to take the gamble that he can get the distance.

The play is a $20 win wager on Rapid Red (2) and $2 exacta boxes keying him with Twentytwentyvision (5) and The Big Train (6).