Santa Anita Picks & Predictions — May 8, 2026
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
2026-05-08T20:00:00Maiden Special Weight · 6 fur · Dirt
Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Father Ted looks standout with daylight to the rest.
Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 59.7 for Race 1. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, trained by Mark Glatt. Ranked 1st for recent race speed at 11.92 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 22% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races. Has not raced in 467 days, may just be looking for a race to tighten up.
Rating board at 58.3. Ridden by Kazushi Kimura. For past year, Jockey has a 18% win rate and finished in the money in 50% of races. Ranked 1st in workouts over last month at 11.50 sec/furlong.
Rating board at 56.7. Ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez. Ranked 2nd in workouts over last month at 11.80 sec/furlong.
Race 2
2026-05-08T20:34:00Claiming · 6 1/2 fur · Turf
Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Code Duello looks standout with daylight to the rest.
Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 90.0 for Race 2. Career win rate of 39% shows consistency. Ridden by Hector Isaac Berrios, trained by Craig Dollase. Ranked 1st for recent race speed at 11.51 sec/furlong. For past year, Jockey has a 22% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races. Has placed in the last 4 races. Has placed in 5 of the last 6 races. Jockey & Horse combo has a 22% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races. Ranked 2nd in workouts over last month at 11.73 sec/furlong. 5 wins and placed in 11 of 16 races on Turf tracks. Horse appears in today's Top 50 Horses List.
Rating board at 74.5. Ridden by Antonio Fresu. For past year, Jockey has a 22% win rate and finished in the money in 62% of races. Has placed in the last 2 races.
Rating board at 54.2. Ridden by Abel Lezcano. Ranked 2nd for recent race speed at 11.83 sec/furlong. Has not raced in 291 days, may just be looking for a race to tighten up.
Race 3
2026-05-08T21:07:00Claiming · 5 1/2 fur · Dirt
Clear separation at the top of the rating board — Aloha Dreamin looks standout with daylight to the rest.
Tops the TrackWiz rating board at 88.5 for Race 3. Career win rate of 40% shows consistency. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, trained by Jose R. Valdez. 2 wins and placed in 5 of 5 races on Dirt tracks. Has placed in the last 3 races. Has placed in 4 of the last 5 races. Has 2 wins and placed in 5 of 6 of Sprint races. 1 wins and placed in 3 of 4 races at Santa Anita. Horse appears in today's Top 50 Horses List.
Rating board at 59.7. Ridden by Armando Aguilar. Ranked 1st for recent race speed at 11.93 sec/furlong. 1 wins and placed in 7 of 11 races on Dirt tracks.
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.
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Good luck at Santa Anita today! Remember to check back for live odds updates and follow us for real-time picks throughout the card. Subscribe to TrackWiz for full access to every race at every track.