ARCADIA, Calif. – The quickest 2-year-old colt in California poses a dilemma Saturday at Santa Anita, where he stretches to two turns in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes. Muth might be the biggest cinch on a Saturday card with four Breeders’ Cup prep races. Or, Muth might be the most vulnerable favorite on the 10-race program. Take your pick. Since betting horses is a risk-versus-reward pastime, there are reasons to look beyond the chalk. Next Level and Raging Torrent rank as legitimate upset candidates in the American Pharoah, a 1 1/16-mile race that offers a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Eight colts entered the $300,000 American Pharoah, the top Santa Anita race on Saturday. The card includes other races with Breeders’ Cup significance. Juvenile Fillies candidate Laurent tops the Grade 2 Chandelier, race 3; Juvenile Turf Sprint hopefuls led by Slider go in the $100,000 Speakeasy, race 4; Filly and Mare Turf prospect Didia appears reliable in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive, race 8. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.  Whether or not Muth is reliable in the American Pharoah depends on how one views a stretch-out sprinter with blazing speed. In both starts, maiden win and Grade 3 runner-up, Muth smoked his opening quarter in 21 and change, and the half-mile in 44 and change. Too fast for two turns? Maybe not. One year ago, Muth’s trainer, Bob Baffert, won the American Pharoah with Cave Rock, who in his previous start sizzled the opening half of a seven-furlong race in 43.65 seconds. Speed usually is good. Muth, even-money favorite by track linemaker Jon White, will try to steal the American Pharoah and extend Baffert’s record in a race he has won 11 times. Juan Hernandez rides Muth; Ramon Vazquez rides Baffert’s second starter, debut sprint winner Wine Me Up. The field also includes Rothschild, New York maiden shipper Be You, and local maidens Next Level, Indispensable, and El Magnifico. Four of the eight entrants are maidens, which is a mere technicality. Four of the last 15 editions of the American Pharoah were won by maidens (Street Hero, 2008; Jaycito, 2010; Power Broker, 2012; and Bond Holder, 2013). Trainer Keith Desormeaux entered two maidens; both have a shot. Next Level is a Grade 1-placed son of Vino Rosso who improved each start; El Magnifico is a Street Sense colt making his third career start and second following a layoff. Both should relish two turns. “These are my kind of horses,” Desormeaux said. “I buy these horses that are rangy and, pedigree-wise, want not only a mile, they want a mile and a quarter. So, they take time to develop. These two have been developing beautifully.” Next Level progressed each start – fifth in his debut in a stakes, runner-up against maidens, and third in the Del Mar Futurity. His speed figures went higher each race, and Desormeaux believes two turns will be his deal. “He’s just built that way,” Desormeaux said. “We’ve been savoring the chance to get two turns. I didn’t run him long in a maiden race because we were so excited that he was that fast. We wanted to give him a chance at the top level. I think he did more than hold his own.” Next Level did plenty. The 79 Beyer Speed Figure he earned last out is second-highest last-start figure in the field, behind the 93 by Muth. Next Level will be ridden again by the trainer’s brother, Kent Desormeaux, and might be the most appealing gamble in the field. The trainer cautioned not to overlook longshot El Magnifico, who came out of his June 18 runner-up debut with tender shins and missed early summer. He finished second in his recent comeback. “He’s still figuring it out, but he’s really matured into himself. He’s grabbing the bit and running right through it now,” Desormeaux said. Hector Berrios rides El Magnifico. Raging Torrent, trained by Doug O’Neill, finished behind division leader Prince of Monaco in both recent starts – third in the Grade 3 Best Pal and fourth in the Del Mar Futurity. O’Neill believes Raging Torrent benefits Saturday by the longer distance and addition of blinkers. “It’s so early for these 2-year-olds, there’s a lot of room to move forward. We’re hoping the two turns will really agree with him,” O’Neill said. Why blinkers? “He was running in spots in his previous races. We’ve galloped him in them and worked him in them and he really held his edge.” Antonio Fresu rides Raging Torrent. Be You shipped from New York for trainer Todd Pletcher, with a speed figure from his debut that makes him a contender. A son of Curlin, Be You earned an 88 Beyer missing by a nose, then had an uneasy trip finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Hopeful. “It was a weird race for everyone,” Pletcher noted. “Basically, you had 10 horses with similar style and one horse [winner Nutella Fella] that closed from off the pace. I thought for only his second start it was a good effort, you’d think he’d appreciate the added distance and two turns.” Umberto Rispoli rides Be You. - additional reporting by David Grening :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.