Santa Anita Race 7 (3:35pm PT/6:35pm ET):  The $300k G2 San Felipe Stakes

Selections:  #3 Goldencents - #2 Flashback - #5 Hear the Ghost

This race has been dubbed a “showdown” for weeks now as everyone following the Derby trail has anticipated these two top west coast Derby contenders knocking heads.  Impressive resumes, side-by-side posts and similar running styles suggest there may be nothing between the two all the way around, so expect this to live up to the billing.  The slight nod goes to Doug O’Neil’s #3 Goldencents whose decided advantages are experience and class.  Three-pounds won’t hurt either.  His only loss came last fall at the hands of 2-year-old champ Shanghai Bobby, and I bet this guy would love to get a chance to avenge that loss down the road.  For now, he’ll have to settle for the #2 Flashback - a dazzling gray Bob Baffert colt that has put considerable space between him and the field in both of his career starts, one of them being a stakes, albeit a short and suspect G2 field.  Both of these guys are working like champs headed into this one and it’s hard to find anything wrong with either.  With that said, my money is on Goldencents being the better of the pair, whether he offers better value or not.  For those wanting to get creative, I wouldn’t discourage any kind of action on the #5 Hear the Ghost.  Although the auction price was cheap, this guy is bred beautifully and has really shown the ability to run in his two career starts.  There is no doubt that he is itching for more ground and he is getting it here.  The only problem is he’s facing as tough of a pair as he could possibly find in the division. 

Full Field:

#1 Carving                    Bejarano/Baffert  15-1

#2 Flashback                  Leparoux/Baffert  8-5

#3 Goldencents              Krigger/O’Neill  2-1

#4 Kochees                    Valdivia/Pender  15-1

#5 Hear the Ghost           Nakatani/Hollendorfer  6-1

#6 Tiz a Minister             Gomez/Aguirre  12-1

#7 Salutos Amigos          Garcia/Guillot  6-1

#8 Omega Star               Talamo/Shirreffs  6-1