Daily Picks

Santa Anita Picks & Predictions — May 1, 2026

Friday, May 1, 20268 racesSanta Anita

Here's our expert breakdown of today's 8-race card at Santa Anita. We've identified 3 standout races with strong plays — see our analysis below. Full card picks for all 8 races are available to TrackWiz subscribers.

Best Bets

Race 1

2026-05-01T22:15:00

Claiming · 1 mi · Turf

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Sakura Flavor looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win4Sakura FlavorML 5/2

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 87.8 for Race 1. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, trained by Patrick Gallagher. Ranked 3rd for recent race speed at 12.14 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races. Ranked 3rd in workouts over last month at 11.90 sec/furlong.

⚡ Longshot7Tom's StarML 20/1

Rating board at 53.0. Ridden by Tiago Josue Pereira. Has placed in the last 2 races. Has placed in 5 of the last 6 races.

Race 2

2026-05-01T22:45:00

Allowance Optional Claiming · 6 fur · Dirt

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — No Cap looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win5No CapML 5/2

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 87.8 for Race 2. Ridden by Armando Ayuso, trained by Brian J. Koriner. Ranked 3rd for recent race speed at 12.13 sec/furlong. 2 wins and placed in 10 of 14 races on Dirt tracks. Has placed in the last 2 races. Has placed in 5 of the last 6 races. Has 1 wins and placed in 4 of 6 races at 6 fur. 1 wins and placed in 6 of 9 races at Santa Anita. Ranked 2nd in workouts over last month at 11.95 sec/furlong. Horse won last time raced at today's surface/distance.

place1Scary Fast RideML 2/1

Rating board at 84.8. Ridden by Tyler Baze. Ranked 1st for recent race speed at 12.09 sec/furlong. 4 wins and placed in 13 of 18 races on Dirt tracks.

show3A. Z. WildcatML 5/2

Rating board at 80.4 • 50% career wins. Ridden by Antonio Fresu. Ranked 2nd for recent race speed at 12.10 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races.

Race 3

2026-05-01T23:20:00

Maiden Claiming · 6 1/2 fur · Turf

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Running Spartan looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win2Running SpartanML 2/1

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 66.9 for Race 3. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, trained by George Papaprodromou. Ranked 2nd for recent race speed at 11.81 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races. Has not raced in 466 days, may just be looking for a race to tighten up.

place1Chapter OneML 5/1

Rating board at 63.5. Ridden by Emisael Jaramillo. Ranked 3rd for recent race speed at 11.85 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 50% of races.

show3MaximonML 3/1

Rating board at 56.7. Ridden by Armando Ayuso. Ranked 1st for recent race speed at 11.57 sec/furlong. Has placed in 1 of the last 1 races.

Our top picks for today focus on races with clear edges in speed figures, trainer form, and track bias. These are the spots where we see the most value on the board.

Full Card Analysis

Race 4

Maiden Special Weight · 4 1/2 fur · Dirt

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Jonny's Cap looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win3Jonny's CapML 6/5

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 59.7 for Race 4. Ridden by Tiago Josue Pereira, trained by Jorge Periban. Ranked 1st in workouts over last month at 11.80 sec/furlong.

place8SalutoML 9/2

Rating board at 54.2. Ridden by Antonio Fresu. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races.

show6Fumano's FireML 5/1

Rating board at 53.3. Ridden by Tyler Baze.

Race 5

Claiming · 1 mi · Dirt

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Hondo Crouch looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win6Hondo CrouchML 3/1

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 87.1 for Race 5. Ridden by Abel Lezcano, trained by Mark Glatt. Ranked 3rd for recent race speed at 12.07 sec/furlong. 1 wins and placed in 12 of 16 races on Dirt tracks. Has placed in the last 3 races. Has placed in 3 of the last 3 races. Has placed in 3 of 4 races at 1 mi. Ranked 2nd in workouts over last month at 11.96 sec/furlong. Claiming Price Decreased from $32000 to $25000.

⚡ Longshot3B GraysonML 8/1

Rating board at 40.8. Ridden by Tyler Baze. Ranked 3rd in workouts over last month at 12.00 sec/furlong.

Race 6

Allowance Optional Claiming · 1 1/8 mi · Turf

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Centrodelantero looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win4CentrodelanteroML 9/5

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 88.8 for Race 6. Ridden by Hector Isaac Berrios, trained by Jeff Mullins. Ranked 2nd for recent race speed at 11.92 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 21% win rate and finished in the money in 63% of races. Has placed in the last 2 races. Has placed in 3 of the last 5 races. Jockey & Horse combo has a 21% win rate and finished in the money in 63% of races. Has not raced in 103 days, may just be looking for a race to tighten up. 2 wins and placed in 4 of 6 races on Turf tracks. Has WON 2 races in a row! Horse won last time it raced. 01/18/2026. Horse won last time raced at today's surface/distance. Horse appears in today's Top 50 Horses List.

place8NamaronML 4/1

Rating board at 83.8. Ridden by Emisael Jaramillo. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 50% of races. Has placed in 3 of the last 4 races.

show6WatsonvilleML 9/2

Rating board at 70.7 • 33% career wins. Ridden by Tyler Baze. Has placed in the last 3 races. Has placed in 3 of the last 4 races.

Race 7

Claiming · 1 mi · Dirt

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Leyas Candy looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win4Leyas CandyML 7/5

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 75.0 for Race 7. Ridden by Armando Ayuso, trained by Andrew Harris. 5 wins and placed in 17 of 30 races on Dirt tracks. Claiming Price Decreased from $8000 to $5000. More than 1 win on today's surface/distance.

place6Mother's PrayerML 8/1

Rating board at 72.0. Ridden by Tiago Josue Pereira. Has placed in the last 2 races. Jockey & Horse combo has a 14% win rate and finished in the money in 51% of races.

⚡ Longshot3Sunset StormML 12/1

Rating board at 50.7. Ridden by Alfredo L. Bautista. Ranked 1st in workouts over last month at 11.80 sec/furlong. Claiming Price Decreased from $6250 to $5000.

Race 8

Starter Optional Claiming · 6 fur · Turf

Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Doncic looks standout with daylight to the rest.

win5DoncicML 8/5

Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 89.1 for Race 8. Career win rate of 25% shows consistency. Ridden by Hector Isaac Berrios, trained by Jeff Mullins. Ranked 3rd for recent race speed at 11.56 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 21% win rate and finished in the money in 63% of races. Has placed in the last 2 races. Has placed in 4 of the last 6 races. 5 wins and placed in 11 of 17 races on Turf tracks. More than 1 win on today's surface/distance. Horse won last time it raced. 02/21/2026. Horse won last time raced at today's surface/distance. Horse appears in today's Top 50 Horses List.

place7Hacking It UpML 4/1

Rating board at 83.0. Ridden by Antonio Fresu. Ranked 2nd for recent race speed at 11.50 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 23% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races.

show1MubtadaaML 5/1

Rating board at 81.6. Ridden by Cesar Belmont. Has placed in the last 2 races. Has placed in 1 of the last 1 races.

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