Picks and plays for opening day at Los Alamitos

Did you know you can earn bonus cash just by wagering on the opening-day card of the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meet?

It’s true! For every $75 you bet at Los Alamitos through TwinSpires, you’ll receive an instant $5 bonus. It’s like getting paid to bet, and it’s hard to beat an offer like that.

To help you get started with your wagers, we’ve put together $75 worth of picks and plays for the opening-day card, including a Pick 3 ticket.

Race 3: $50,000 Maiden Claiming (5 1/2 furlongs, 4:58 p.m. ET)

#2 Supersonic Flyer (5-2) looks like the filly to beat under hot apprentice jockey Jessica Pyfer. The speedy daughter of Vronsky has finished second twice over this class level at Santa Anita and should appreciate cutting back from slightly longer distances to this abbreviated 5 1/2-furlong trip.

But #1 Our Miss Millie (3-1) has posted comparable Brisnet Speed ratings while competing against maiden special weight company and figures to be dangerous while descending the class ladder. We’ll use them both to kick off the Pick 3, then box them in the exacta.

$5 Pick 3: 1,2 with 7 with 5 ($10)
$10 Exacta box: 1,2 ($20)

Race 4: $16,000 Starter Allowance (one mile, 5:28 p.m. ET)

#7 Take a Leap (9-5) owns by far the best Brisnet Speed ratings in this seven-horse field. She’s also won her last three starts on dirt, including a 1 1/16-mile event over this track and class level last December. Take a Leap got a prep run under her belt when kicking off 2021 in a turf allowance at Santa Anita, and though she never really factored, returning to dirt might be all she needs to rebound.

#3 Cowboys Daughter (5-2), a decisive frontrunning winner of a $16,000 claimer at Santa Anita last month, can complete the exacta. But we’ll single Take a Leap in the Pick 3.

$20 exacta: 7 with 3

Race 5: $20,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs, 5:58 p.m. ET)

#4 Lava Lane (6-5) has run well in her first two starts, most recently crushing a six-furlong maiden special weight by 5 3/4 lengths. But this blowout victory came over the turf course at Santa Anita, and there’s no telling how Lava Lane will fare while transitioning to dirt.

If you want to bet a horse switching from turf to dirt, why not try #5 Capital Heat (2-1)? She’s been competing admirably over the Santa Anita lawn, most notably wiring a $25,000 claiming sprint during the winter. But Capital Heat is also proven on dirt, having broken her maiden in a $50,000/$40,000 maiden claimer at Los Alamitos last December.

Capital Heat has actually run slightly faster than Lava Lane on the Brisnet Speed rating scale, so we’ll bet Capital Heat to win, key her over Lava Lane in the exacta, and single her to complete the Pick 3.

$15 to win on #5 Capital Heat
$10 Exacta: 5 with 4

Good luck!