3/6-7 (SA): Big Cap, Kilroe (G1's), Felipe, Carlos (G2's); Ysabel (G3)
 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There's a race that deserves a sleeping dragon.

3 from Baffert and 2 from McCarthy...Rename it the Humdinger Stakes

Unfortunately, also-rans from the Santa Ynez Frosteria (Baffert), Exotic West (Baffert), and Nassredine (McCarthy) didn't enter to make it a more diverse field.

Princess Noor (retired) and Moonlight d'Oro (layoff) were at the top of this heap but are inactive now. The silver lining is that the impressive Astute is back and working a hole in the wind if you believe she can stretch out and that you can draw a line through her last race.

Meanwhile after today's China Doll, Santa Anita will have run THREE stakes races for 3yo fillies on the turf in the last 20 days. No rhyme or reason to do that beyond ensuring a 6-horse average field size and it takes away from the run towards the Santa Anita Oaks on dirt.

And despite all that, Javanica, a turf filly who's connections (Godolphin) were game to run against colts in the El Camino Real Derby (she finished 2nd) three weeks ago, doesn't experiment further by starting in the Santa Ysabel...and doesn't show up for the China Doll back on grass, either.

No...she worked a strong 5 furlongs this morning at Santa Anita instead.

I guess I'll eat crow if she shows up for the UAE Derby, or maybe there's another 3yo filly stakes next week...

Hope this limb is strong enough but I'm going with Maxfield and Life is Good.

The sooner Santa Anita closes the better for the sport.

With the exception of the Baffert juice job in the 2nd, no one is making up any ground on this track.

No whipping, but let’s scrape the track to produce fast times. Makes sense.

I’m going way against the hype and I love Express Train.

As per usual Flavien Prat rides like he left his brain at home on big days.

Other than Jose Ortiz the most overrated rider in the history of the sport.

The rider change alone on Idol was worth 5 lengths but it’s a toss up on whether or not Baltas is going to juice that specific day. Juice obviously on today.

Another scumbag juicer.

Disappointed by Maxfield today but not as much as I thought I'd be. I guess what I saw in his last two prepared me for this. I wasn't impressed by either race and was just assuming that these horses would be no better so he could still win. Guess not.

LOL the “other” Baffert to close out the day.

Hay and oats!

On the opposite end, I liked what I saw from Life is Good. It's going to take a lot to beat him.

Tried to lug out from the opening; rider had outside rein dangling the whole time and horse still drifted out through the stretch.

I didn’t like that part. Reminded me of King Glorious in the Hollywood Futurity.

Mike Smith says the video screen caused it.

Who knew the video screen wrapped around the track. Tainerspeak and Jockeyspeak are so funny.

That BS is even funnier when you consider Mike Smith's solution; he would make a great trainer after he retires from riding.

Gonna enter a horse with "totalizator board off" rather than "blinkers on". What a genius.

No word yet if the Saudi racing officials have considered his suggestion that they add a second, shorter finish line to the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in order to offset Charlatan Slew's habit of slowing down with added distance.

On second thought, I'm actually scared that Santa Anita officials will take his suggestion seriously...

He ran that entire race in like the 5 path while Johnny V on Medina's Spirt made sure to get involved with anyone trying to make a move. I can't see how Life is Good really got more than a paid workout. He certainly won't have that trip the first Saturday in May. Having said that we may very well have an L1 horse in Derby this year. Maybe Medina's Spirit is the play out if this one if he is in and L1?

What’s L1?