The California horse-racing circuit makes a contribution to the Kentucky Derby entry picture with the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
A field of 11 going 1 1-16 miles stalk 50 qualifying points and the automatic entry to the May 6 Run for the Roses. Points are awarded on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis to the top-five finishers.
Post time is 5:30 p.m. ET. Here is a betting overview of the race, which gamblers can access via FanDuel TV.
2023 San Felipe Stakes Field
Here is the field for Saturday’s San Felipe Stakes.
| PP | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase the Chaos | 15-1 | Armando Ayuso | Ed Moger, Jr. |
| 2 | National Treasure | 9-2 | John Velazquez | Tim Yakteen |
| 3 | Practical Move | 6-1 | Ramon Vazquez | Tim Yakteen |
| 4 | Bluegrass Go Go | 30-1 | Edwin Maldonado | Doug O'Neill |
| 5 | Genius Jimmy | 15-1 | Kazushi Kimura | Michael McCarthy |
| 6 | Crypto Ride | 30-1 | Umberto Rispoli | Craig Lewis |
| 7 | Hejazi | 7-2 | Mike Smith | Tim Yakteen |
| 8 | Geaux Rocket Ride | 4-1 | Flavien Prat | Richard Mandella |
| 9 | Fort Bragg | 10-1 | Juan Hernandez | Tim Yakteen |
| 10 | Skinner | 8-1 | Victor Espinoza | John Shirreffs |
| 11 | Mr Fisk | 6-1 | Lanfranco Dettori | Tim Yakteen |
Saturday’s Santa Anita Park Racing Schedule
The 12-race card begins at 3 p.m. ET with the San Felipe serving as Race 6.
Other highlights include the final two races, the $500,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf and the $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap for older horses at 1 1-4 miles on dirt. They are the final two races on the card and have respective post times of 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET.
Gamblers will wager into many large fields throughout Santa Anita’s program, which offers $2,042,000 in purse money.
That is one of the top totals in the industry on Saturday. The Frank Kilroe and Santa Anita Handicap each offer the highest single-race purse on the racing circuit on Saturday. That will be a magnet to attract bettors.
Gamblers also can wager into a 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6 carryover, which has a mandatory payout day on Saturday at Santa Anita.
San Felipe Stakes Contenders and Overview
Hejazi raised industry eyebrows just 15 days into the season when he notched a 99 Beyer speed figure at Santa Anita. It topped the industry for a while and although it has been surpassed, any improvement would put him above 100, a number that generates betting respect in the Kentucky Derby.
Stablemate National Treasure shipped to Keeneland and notched a good third behind triumphant Forte and Cave Rock in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November.
National Treasure’s 94 Beyer speed rating earmarks him as one of the improving horses in this mix.
Practical Move has steadily moved upward. He triumphed at maiden special weights and then the $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity at this exact distance. He will enter with momentum.
Geaux Rocket Ride comes in off a sizzling debut victory at Santa Anita with a scorching six-furlong time of 1:09.52. He must stretch out considerably in distance and face a tougher field, but is going to be a horse to watch moving forward.
San Felipe Stakes Pace Considerations
Santa Anita is notoriously speed-favoring. Forbidden Kingdom bolted to the front and waved goodbye to this field in the 2022 running.
Gamblers can help themselves with some timely research by watching earlier races here. Santa Anita received a formidable 6.5 inches of rain last weekend. It’s not known how fast the track will dry out.
Watching earlier events will help bettors assess the condition of the surface. If the track is labeled “good,” it may be tiring and benefit the closing instincts of National Treasure, who beat Hejazi at this distance in the American Pharoah Stakes last year.
If it is listed “fast,” it could be all systems go for Hejazi to seize the early lead. In either scenario, this race may boil down to National Treasure — or some other closer — trying to run down Hejazi in the stretch.
Frank E. Kilroe Mile Contenders and Overview
There could be some excellent value in this nine-horse group.
Du Jour, Air Force Red, and Irideo feature a rematch of their tight finish in the Thunder Road Stakes. Irideo usually gets less betting respect than the other two and could be a significant price if he gets in the picture.
Masteroffoxhounds gains an advantage, cutting back to 1 mile from the 1 1-4 miles he ran in the $200,000 San Marcos Stakes. He held a firm lead in the stretch until being overtaken just before the wire.
The shortened course could make him formidable here.
Balnikhov would love to run into a hot pace. He finished a strong rallying second in the $200,000 Mathis Mile in January.
All Hong Kong Harry does is win. He’s captured five of six and got up to win the Seabiscuit Handicap last November with a thunderous move. He nipped Masteroffoxhounds two steps from the wire. This is his longest career layoff.
There are multiple horses who make sense in this race, which is excellent news for gamblers. This is a terrific betting race.
Santa Anita Handicap Contenders and Overview
See who the public falls in love with on Saturday.
Carbon copy of the parity shown in the Frank Kilroe. Newgrange, Parnelli, and Hopper practically hit the wire together in the San Pasqual Stakes. Newgrange got up to win, Hopper was second, and Parnelli got third.
They will be joined by Defunded and Stilleto Boy, who finished second and third in the $3 million Pegasus at Gulfstream Park in January.
Stilleto Boy figures to be an early pace factor, while Defunded loves to run close to the pace.
Defunded will likely be the favorite based on coming out of a better race. He also gets Santa Anita’s leading rider Juan Hernandez, who handled Newgrange in the San Pasqual. Bettors will see a message in the jockey switch.
Also read: What is the Triple Crown of horse racing?
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