Horse Racing Opening Day at Santa Anita

Santa Anita always opens the day after Christmas, Dec. 26th, and this year is no different. The last time sports betting fans made wagers on the Santa Anita main course it was in the Breeders’ Cup Classic where Raven’s Pass was beating down Curlin for the top prize.

Online racebook fans don’t have a lot of experience betting the Santa Anita Pro-Ride surface since it was unveiled specifically for this past fall’s Oak Tree Meet and the Breeders’ Cup. But during the Breeders’ Cup and the Oak Tree Meet the surface appeared to be playing fair.

What will happen this winter and spring?

Well, online racbook betting fans are going to find out because the Grade I Malibu is being run on opening day. At seven furlongs, the Malibu will showcase Colonel John who finished sixth to Raven’s Pass in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but won both the Santa Anita Derby and Traver’s Stakes during his thee-year old campaign. The Eoin Harty trained son of Tiznow no doubt will be a huge horse bet favorite before the gates open for the Malibu. If online racebook fans are looking for a nice, decent priced, horse to bet on, Into Mischief might be the one. The 2007 Cash Call Futurity winner has never been healthy enough to make a serious climb up the handicap ranks, but he’s a good looking horse that has more talent than anyone, including Colonel John, in the Malibu field. He’s my pick at this point of the week.

There are two other stakes races on the December 26th opening day card. Gio Ponti, who was the favorite in the Hollywood Derby before suffering a terrible trip and finishing seventh, takes on 11 other horses in the Sir Beaufort Stakes. Gio Ponti figures to be a huge favorite in this but its opening day. That means that BetUS online racebook fans need to be cautious bout making online wagers on closer, like Gio Ponti, on the Pro-Ride surface. If the surface is playing towards speed, then a number of other contenders in the Sir Beaufort could take home the win money. Among the contenders is the hard trying Dakota Phone who has been absolutely brilliant at times on both turf and dirt. He’s my horse bet pick at the moment in the Sir Beaufort.

The final stakes race on the card is the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes. The favorites figures to be Lordgivemealift who won an optional claimer at Hollywood Park recently by running six furlongs in 1:08. He will have to contend with such stakes horses as Beauteous Maximus and Atticus Jack. Both of those horses could upset Lordgivemealift at what figures to be nice overlaid online betting odds.

Santa Anita will run six other races on the card. For BetUS online sportsbook betting fans, it makes sense to handicap every single race on the Santa Anita opening day card.

Online racebook fans just don’t know when or where they’re going to find those nice overlay bets.

Good Luck!