ARCADIA, Calif. – An overachieving filly going up in class and an underachieving filly stuck going sideways present parimutuel challenges in separate allowance sprints Friday at Santa Anita. Holdthatrainbow was not supposed to win first out because maidens trained by Carla Gaines rarely do. But Holdthatrainbow popped anyway at $16.20. Expectations are higher Friday in race 5, a six-furlong turf race for Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies. Holdthatrainbow is listed at even-money. Our Moonlight lost as the favorite the last three times she raced on dirt, a frustrating streak that may end Friday in race 8. Our Moonlight is the 3-1 third choice behind program favorite Cipriani and pacesetter A. Z. Wildcat. The dirt sprint for fillies and mares is perfect for Our Moonlight. Favorites are running amok at Santa Anita. Twenty-two of 38 races last week were won by chalk, 14 at odds-on. The spring meet total is 81 of 184 (44 percent), including 38 at odds-on. The Gaines-trained Holdthatrainbow will try to extend the pattern when she makes her second start in race 5 Friday. :: Play Santa Anita racing with confidence. Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more. “We really loved the way she was training, but everyone in the world knows I never win first time out,” Gaines said. “I don’t ever push them. I always want them to have a good experience in the first race. That’s how nice she is – she won in spite of me first time out.” Holdthatrainbow tucked into third, rallied outside, and won by a half-length over what turned out to be a good Cal-bred field. The two-three-four finishers all won maiden races next out. Juan Hernandez rides Holdthatrainbow, an Uptown Rythem filly who Gaines said “has been training super” since her win. For bettors, the dilemma is value. Even-money is awfully short second time out and first versus winners. The favorite’s main rival is stakes-placed What’s a Good Name, a Peter Miller trainee with solid works for her first start since September. Last-out maiden winner Goje wheels back 12 days after a maiden turf sprint win that earned a 70 Beyer Speed Figure, five points higher than Holdthatrainbow. The featured eighth race is a 6 1/2-furlong entry-level allowance for fillies and mares, with three principals – program favorite Cipriani, front-runner A. Z. Wildcat, and Our Moonlight. Cipriani has not started in more than a year, while A. Z. Wildcat and Our Moonlight both are in form. Our Moonlight has a valid excuse for her last-out debacle in a turf route, where she was annihilated on the first turn and finished sixth. Her three previous starts on dirt were creditable in-the-money finishes, with all three losses coming as the favorite. Dean Pederson trains the 1-for-8 Tapit filly. “She’s just a very frustrating horse because I know she’s got more talent than what she’s shown in the afternoon,” Pederson said. “It’s not that she’s run bad races, but let’s face it, she hasn’t taken that next step forward.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Our Moonlight’s best speed figures match or exceed the 81 Beyer par for the class level, and a handicapper could conclude the late-running gray is the most likely winner. The problem is that Our Moonlight routinely promises more than she delivers. “You always look for excuses, right?” Pederson said. “Sometimes horses are not any different than people. Sometimes you have to look in the mirror.” Tiago Pereira rides Our Moonlight, whose seven losses include six at the first allowance condition. The speed of the field is A. Z. Wildcat, who breaks from the rail while making her second start back. Trainer John Sadler was satisfied with her runner-up comeback. “It was a good race, even though she got beat coming off a long layoff,” Sadler said. “And what I liked was her [Ragozin] number was her best.” A. Z. Wildcat also earned a career-best 78 Beyer. Joel Rosario rides A. Z. Wildcat. “With her, it’s just about getting her a pattern [of races],” Sadler said. “She had a race, she’s back in, she’s doing well.” The challenge facing A. Z. Wildcat is to carry her speed 6 1/2 furlongs after breaking from the rail. Her strategy is no secret. “She’s always going to be the speed, and she drew the one,” Sadler said. “Not taking back from the one, that’s for sure.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.