All-Stakes Pick 3 for Santa Anita on Jan. 7

A handful of black-type events will highlight a fine 10-race card at Santa Anita on Saturday. I found that a trio of consecutive stakes races in the second half of the card are especially intriguing to me, and I will aim to be rewarded with a winning Pick 3 play using that sequence.

Race 6: Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint S.

A solid field of nine fillies and mares will contest the 6 1/2-furlong affair. #3 Alice Marble (5-2) will be a popular selection on most tickets for Phil D’Amato, and deservedly so. The Grazen mare was a smart runner-up in the race in 2022 and has won or placed in each of her four subsequent outings. The Grade-2 placed stakes heroine loves the course and gets Flavien Prat.

I will also include #5 Eddie’s New Dream (7-2) for conditioner Ben Cecil. The Square Eddie mare dons a solid 3-2-0-1 mark at this unique distance, and she is always a major player when facing fellow California-bred runners. The tactical mare was an impressive stakes victress in her most recent local try, and she rates the best chance to upend the favorite beneath Mario Gutierrez. 

Race 7: California Cup Derby

A total of seven sophomores will vie in the 1 1/16-mile event. The two-time stakes winner #4 Giver Not A Taker (9-5) rates a huge chance for conditioner Peter Miller. The Danzing Candy colt is a deserving favorite in the field after enduring a very smart juvenile campaign, and he is a length shy from being unbeaten from four lifetime dirt tries to date. Prat riding adds to his appeal, but I think this race is deeper than most do.

Flashy debut winner #1 Thirsty John (4-1), Golden State Juvenile upsetter #2 Passarando (2-1), and King Glorious S. second-place finisher #6 Crypto Ride (5-1) merit inclusion.

Race 8: California Cup Oaks

The one-mile turf affair for three-year-old fillies features a field of nine. I will go three-deep to cap the wager, led by Brian Koriner’s #8 Sell the Dream (2-1). The Munnings chestnut has run well in each of her four turf tries to date, led by a trio of smart stakes placings, and it’s a bonus that the filly broke her maiden on the surface too. The talented sophomore attracts Prat.

Unbeaten dual stakes queen #9 Cast Member (5-2) clearly possesses the talent to win the race, and the filly is also bred to thrive on the green while making her turf debut in this spot. The bay daughter of Munnings will stalk the pace from the opening bell under John Velazquez.

#3 Grazed My Heart (4-1) has been first or second in four straight, including a second-place finish on the dirt in the Soviet Problem S. last time out. The gray daughter of Grazen graduated on the green two back when rallying into a slow pace en route to victory, and I think that she is quite intriguing at a square price beneath Hector Berrios.

Santa Anita All-Stakes Pick 3 Wager

• $2 Pick 3: 3,5 with 1,2,4,6 with 3,8,9 ($48)