Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know”
Friday, June 6 2024
Santa Anita Park

Specifically designed for the rolling exotic player, Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” isolates those horses that should be included in daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and the pick-6.

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Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play.

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Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 1:00 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 7-Lady Gregory
Backups: 2-Over Attracted.

Forecast: Lady Gregory just missed in a similar starter’s allowance affair on dirt but today switches to grass, which appears to be her preferred surface. Drawn comfortably outside, the J. Mullins-trained mare should settle into an ideal second flight stalking position and then have dead aim and every chance from the quarter pole home. A real pro, she’s a two time winner over the local lawn and has won 11 races throughout her career.

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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 1:33 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 5-Concord Bridge
Backups: 2-Mr. Leasure.

Forecast: Concord Bridge left his previous form far behind with a fast, highly rated career top maiden optional claiming win sprinting last month and today will try to duplicate that performance stretching out to a mile in this starter optional claimer. Based strictly on speed figures, the son of Medaglia d’Oro is a complete standout, assuming he can turn in two alike and handle today’s two-turn trip. We suspect he will do just that.

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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 2:02 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 2-Thebestisyettobe (Ire).
Backups: 1-Port Ellen (Ire).

Forecast: Thebestisyettobe (Ire) returned off a very long layoff to handle a restricted $25,000 claiming field over the local lawn in facile fashion while earning a career top number. She returns protected in a sign of confidence while shortening to a mile in this starter allowance affair for older fillies and mares, and we expect the P. D’Amato-trained import to score right back.

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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 2:32 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 3-Misty Dancer
Backups: none.

Forecast: We’re putting Misty Dance on top in this $5,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares by process if elimination. In other words, we’ve eliminated everybody else. She looks quick enough to establish a clear lead in a field without pace and could get brave if she can shake loose early. Her low percentage connections don’t inspire confidence, but somebody has to win. Tread lightly here.

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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 3:04 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 3-Bob’s Blue Moon; 1-One Flew South. 8-Jetovator.
Backups: none.

Forecast: A few of these exit the same turf sprint and are hard to separate. Bob’s Blue Moon, a lethargic fourth in that common race in early May as the beaten favorite, gets a chance to make amends. He has some back numbers that makes him the one to beat and couple of sharp recent workouts since raced appears to indicate that he’s perking up. One Flew South is a three time winner over the local lawn while Jetovator is getting up in mileage and clearly has lost a step but his best race always must be respected at this level.

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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 3:36 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 5-Smokem Hot Girl; 4-Mzarek’s Old Dream.
Backups: 7-Little Silver Girl.

Forecast: Smokem Hot Girl, in the frame in both of her career starts, may have more room for improvement than the others in the field, so we’ll give her a slight edge on top. First off the claim for a low profile outfit, she removes blinkers and projects to settle in the second flight and have her chance when the pressure is turned on. Mzarek’s Old Dream, an okay second in the same race our top pick just finished third in, already has had nine chance but is a fit on numbers and really won’t have to improve much to be competitive again in this very modest maiden claiming field.

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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 4:08 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 3-Certitude.
Backups: 9-Sun Of Hill (Brz).

Forecast: Certitude has won her last three outings in stylish manner and there’s no reason she can’t extend the streak to four. The J. Sadler-trained import, first or second in eight of 10 starters over the Santa Anita turf course, is effective at any distance and can be tough on the front end or from a stalking position, so regular rider H. Berrios can play the break and choose a strategy. This raise in class from starter’s allowance to the first level should be within her capabilities.

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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 4:48 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 1-Wishful Winker; 8-Rebelexis.
Backups: none.

Forecast: Wishful Winker plummets from maiden $20,000 to maiden $8,000 and may have found her friends. She had earned numbers that are better than par for this level, so if she can avoid trouble from the rail the daughter of Competitive Edge should be capable of earning her diploma. Rebelexis adds blinkers, and with just two starts on her resume is another that may be capable of improving at this bottom level.

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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 5:18 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 3-One of These Days (Ire); 7-Bad to the Bones.
Backups: none.

Forecast: One of These Days (Ire), a recent $25,000 S. Knapp claim, just missed in a photo in a similar restricted affair and is returns at the same level for his new connections while shortening to a mile. It’s been awhile since he’s won a race, but this is the type of claim this barn has had good success with in the past. Bad to the Bones is just 1-for-19 and certainly not one to trust, but this is his lowest level ever and on pure numbers he’s a fit, so we’ll toss him in.

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Jeff Siegel’s Blog: “What You Need to Know for Santa Anita – Friday, June 6, 2025