Plenty of Value, Just Not Here

Santa Anita is not the place to be this afternoon.

Unless, of course, you enjoy small fields.

Only 32 horses were entered in the first five races. Three of the eight races are for maiden claimers.

If you insist on coming to the track, it might be best to look at the races being run elsewhere. Belmont Park’s card is more attractive and better still is Keeneland.

The track in Lexington, Ky., consistently has bigger fields than what we see every day locally and a new wager that has drummed up some interest is a $1 Pick Five. The wager is offered on races 4-8, and if no one picks all five winners, the pool is carried to the next day. There are no consolation payouts.

The races in today’s sequence are a 2-year-old turf allowance with eight runners, a $50,000 claimer for 2-year-old fillies with 10 participants, an allowance for eight 3-year-olds, an allowance race for older runners that drew a full field of 12 and the $75,000 Perryville.

The last race attracted only five runners, but one of them is Hero’s Tribute, the comebacking 3-year-old who won the Peter Pan earlier this year at Belmont.

Races will also be simulcast from Arlington Park.

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Race of the day: The best race at Oak Tree is the seventh, an optional claimer for older California-breds on turf. Good Cop Bad Cop is the 8-5 favorite as he makes his grass debut, but the horse to beat is Bastion, who should improve with the move back to grass.

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Who’s hot: Corey Nakatani. Of the jockeys in the upper half of the local standings, his winning percentage of .240, entering Wednesday, was second only to leading rider Alex Solis, who was at .300.

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Who’s not: Goncalino Almeida. On the other end of the spectrum among riders, Almeida has the lowest winning percentage among jockeys who have won at least once. He was one for 27 before Wednesday’s program.

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Exotically speaking: A pick four using Oh Jazzy Day and Awesome Daze in the fifth, Pearl Hunt and Slipthejab in the sixth, singling Bastion in the seventh and El Nuki, Test Drive and Iza Chili Bean in the eighth.