Maiden King

Maiden King conquers So. Cal. maiden races

Maiden claiming $32,000, 6-1/2 furlongs, 3 yo fillies

Possible overlays                         Morning line

#2 Sister Derek                                 15/1
#3 Latego Light                                 6/1
#11 Fine Time to Leave                     3/1
#13 Lanie’s Way                                 4/1

The median winning Beyer Speed Figure for this class is 65, which bodes well for #3 Latego Light who ran a 64 Beyer when she last raced on Feb. 16.

In that February race, Latego Light was going a mile and she came running late with a spirited rally.

Mike Mitchell trains #11 Fine Time to Leave, who is probably much better than she looks. If almost anybody else trained this horse I would want nothing to do with it, but Mitchell won with 24 of his last 66 maiden claimers and anybody who bet them all would be ahead by 24 cents on the dollar. I have to respect that.

When Mitchell’s maiden claimers are live, I noticed, their odds are often bet below 3-to-1, so I will be watching the tote board.

Starting for her third time off of a six-month layoff, #13 Lanie’s Way could win if she improves by a few lengths or if none of the other contenders run their best. Another positive clue with Lanie’s Way would be strong wagering action. Also, first-time starter #2 Sister Derek is OK if the price is right.

If #11 Fine Time to Leave is 5/2 or less, then I will wager $400 to win on her; if she’s 3/1 or 7/2 then just $150; if 4/1 or more than I won’t bet her.

Also, I want $200 to win on #3 Latego Light at 5/2 to 9/1, but only $100 at 10/1 or more.  Finally, I will take $150 to win on #2 Sister Derek at 10/1 to 19/1 only.

Jockey Rafael Bejarano punched the accelerator at the last minute to get #1 Mr. Holmes up.

Really in the late stages of this race, it was Zephaniah’s to lose. But the 11-to-1 shot just couldn’t last.

Zephaniah, who stalked the pace of #6 Dial Four Peace  on the backstretch, began making his move on the turn when  jockey Martin Garcia went to the whip. He took the lead in midstretch and it didn’t look like any of his rivals were making a move.

Even race caller Trevor Denman thought 7-to-5 shot Mr. Holmes was all done. With an eighth of a mile to the wire, Denman gave him a monotoned midstretch courtesy call “Mr. Holmes plugging away from fourth,” while the horse was going nowhere, four lengths behind.

But just about then, #1 Mr Holmes kicked in with a burst of speed and won in the last jump.

I planned to bet Mr. Holmes at 2-to-1 or better, so his odds were too low for me. I ended up with $100 on both #3 Zephaniah and 7-to-1 shot #9 Mustang Aleyna.

To watch a replay of this race, go to www.calracing.com.

Maiden claiming $32,000, 5-1/2 furlongs, 3-yo fillies

Possible overlays                          Morning line

#1 Count’n Tears                               8/1
#2 Tripped Fuse                                10/1
#5 Molly Moonshine                            20/1
#7 Hypnotizing                                  12/1
#8 Dixie Lucky                                   2/1
#9 Sky Martini                                   8/1

This looks like a very strong race for the level, as the median Beyer Speed Figure is 66 and many of these horses have run races in the mid-60’s.

However, there are also many first and second-time starters with potential in here and they always seem to pay better than a horse with a high Beyer number.

On the rail, #1 Count’n Tears is running in her second lifetime race and she looks like the quickest horse. That’s important with a short run to the turn. Another second-timer who could run big is #9 Sky Marni, who steadied in the stretch on Jan. 2, yet still ran a 59 Beyer.

Garrett Gomez is certain to depress the price on 2-to-1 morning line favorite #8 Dixie Lucky, but #7 Hypnotizing, who is another second-timer, will probably go off at a decent wagering price.

Peter Eurton, who’s won with six of his last 13, trains #5 Moonshine Molly, but she has all slow workouts showing for her debut. Another running for the first time is #2 Tripped Fuse, who is worth a wager if the price is right.

I will bet $200 to win on #1 Count’n Tears, and $150 on #7 Hypnotizing and #9 Sky Marni — all at 3/1 to 7/1 only, and I will reduce the wagers on all three to $100 at odds of 8/1 or more. Also, I want $200 on #2 Tripped Fuse and #5 Molly Moonshine, but only at 10/1 to 19/1.

Jockey Michael Baze sped to the lead with #9 Betty boomboom

If you see trainer Peter Eurton at Santa Anita, don’t bump into him because you might burn yourself.

He is that hot right now.

In 2008, trainer Peter Eurton ran 124 horses and won 19 races for a respectable winning percentage of 15.  But during the Santa Anita meeting, which began Dec. 26, Eurton’s horses have won six of their 13 races, or 46 percent of the time.

On Jan. 15, Eurton saddled 7-to-1 shot Dish the Dirt to a maiden win and Thursday #9 Bettyboomboom went wire-to-wire at 9-to-2. As Bettyboomboom was loading into the gate, her odds were 6-to-1, but they plummeted to 9-to-2 as the race was being run. The same thing happened to Dish the Dirt, which tells me that the stable bets at the last possible moment.

Although I acknowledged Bettyboomboom’s speed when evaluating this race, I instead went for first-time starters #6 Excessive Charm at 6-to-1 and 18-to-1 shot #3 Play Reveille.

To watch a replay of this race, go to calracing.com