The hottest trainer at Santa Anita in the first month of the winter-spring meeting has been Dean Pederson, who had won with 5 of his first 8 runners through Monday. Pederson has an excellent chance to add to that win total when Majestic Palisades starts in a $40,000 maiden claiming race at a mile on dirt Thursday. A 4-year-old gelding who races for owner and breeder John Harris, Majestic Palisades will start in open company for the first time after four losses against California-breds. He runs on Thursday out of necessity. “It’s frustrating you can’t fill a Cal-bred race on the dirt,” Pederson said. “Everybody thinks they’ve got a grass horse. I’m just trying to break a maiden.” In his last start, his first at a mile, Majestic Palisades led narrowly in the long stretch at Los Alamitos in a $50,000 claiming race for maidens and was beaten a head by Mining District. Majestic Palisades finished 13 lengths clear of third-place finisher Big Gin. “It was a tough loss last time when you get beat a whisker and you’re 13 lengths in front of the third horse,” Pederson said. :: Santa Anita Clocker Reports are available every race day. Access now. Majestic Palisades is part of a field of seven entered for Thursday's third race. Pederson won 12 races in 2024, the last of which was with Our Moonlight at Santa Anita on Dec. 27, the second day of the current meeting. This month, Pederson has won four races. Through Monday, Pederson was tied for fifth in the win standings behind leader Mark Glatt, who has won 11 races from his first 37 starters. Pederson is quick to credit odd circumstances for his successful start. Three of his winners were previously trained by Steve Specht, who retired from training last month after Pleasanton officials opted not to run a winter-spring meeting at that Northern California track. Instead, Santa Anita officials are offering a small number of races each day that are restricted to horses previously based in Northern California. Pederson won two races on Jan. 3 and another on Sunday with former Specht runners owned by Larry and Marianne Williams. “We’ve had horses in good spots,” Pederson said. “It’s been Steve Specht and the horses running their races. We got fortunate with some horses for Larry Williams. They fit the restricted races very well. The horses ran their races. They’re doing their part. At the end of the day, that’s the telltale. “All I did was cross the T’s and dot the I’s. We ran horses that weren’t 15- or 20-1. That always helps.” Pederson’s lone stakes runner at Santa Anita so far this winter was On the Whim, who finished third by 1 1/4 lengths in the $176,500 California Cup Classic for statebreds at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Saturday as the 7-2 third choice in a field of 11. On the Whim won the California Flag Handicap for statebreds on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in October and could run in the $100,000 Sensational Star Handicap for statebreds on the same course on March 30. A start between now and then is unlikely, Pederson said. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.