ARCADIA, Calif. – The ninth and final race Friday at Santa Anita might offer the most attractive wagering opportunity on the card, though bettors salivating at the 9-2 morning line on a talented second-start maiden could be in for a rude awakening. Based on his promising debut, Robin Olds’s price is too good to be true. He is not a cinch in the turf mile for maiden 3-year-olds bred in California, but anyone who watched the colt’s first start will look forward to his second race on Friday. That includes trainer Phil D’Amato. “I was really excited with the race,” D’Amato said, referring to Robin Olds’s third-place finish in a similar California-bred turf mile. “He sat behind there and came with a flourish late.” Did he ever. Robin Olds, sired by Mo Forza and produced by six-time stakes winner Enola Gray, was up against it first out. But he had an attractive pedigree and had shown potential in workouts for D’Amato, owner-breeder Nick Alexander, and jockey Armando Ayuso. Robin Olds broke well, was not asked for speed, and trailed on the backstretch while the pace slowed – 48.67 seconds and 1:12.81. Nearing the quarter pole, Robin Olds was still positioned last of nine. Then he turned it on by uncorking a final quarter-mile in 23.87, weaving through traffic and galloping out in front of the field. D’Amato and Ayuso were thrilled. :: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more. “Armando told me he never really had a chance to set him down until very late,” D’Amato said. “He said once he did, he took off and galloped out past everybody.” The ideal prep race sets up Robin Olds as the most likely winner in the 10-runner field, at a price significantly shorter than his morning line. “It’s another Friday, it’s another rails-out-at-30, with a horse coming from behind, so we’ll see,” D’Amato said. “But hopefully he’ll be even sharper and ready to win.” The turf rails typically are at the outermost 30-foot setting on Fridays. With the rails out that far, it is widely believed front-runners hold the advantage and late-runners are compromised. However, the data shows otherwise. Since late January, seven of the 10 rails-at-30 turf miles were won from the middle or back of the field. Program favorite John Metcalfe finished last, with an alibi, in the race Robin Olds exits. John Metcalfe resented being rated. He pulled while visibly uncomfortable and surrendered on the far turn. With blinkers added Friday, jockey Juan Hernandez could adopt a front-running strategy. Eight others are entered in the Friday finale, which looks like a two-horse affair between second-start late-runner Robin Olds and blinkers-on front-runner John Metcalfe. Others include front-runner Dr. Filkins, stretch-out Chief Resident, and Flash of Lightning. ◗ Five fillies and mares bred in California are entered in the race-7 feature on Friday, an allowance mile on dirt. The top contenders are Stay in Line, a distance-challenged front-runner, and Dorie Miller, the late-running 6-5 program favorite. Dorie Miller has never won a route. She has lost 15 races since her most recent victory, a sprint, in September 2024. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.