Santa Anita Picks & Predictions — October 25, 2026

Simple Majority (No. 2) is essentially a co-top-rated horse at 84.17 and draws Joel Rosario — one of the best riders in the country — which is never a bad sign in a maiden event. Jeff Bonde has a history of placing horses intelligently, and the 5/1 morning line on a horse this close to the top of the ratings is an attractive place overlay. He's the natural backup in exactas.

Don't Tell Jean (No. 5) posts a solid 72.80 rating without a recorded average speed figure — meaning our model is working off workout or form data alone, which can cut both ways on debut or return. Val Brinkerhoff sends her out at 3/1 with Armando Aguilar up, and if she runs anywhere near expectation she has plenty of ability to hit the board. A show ticket or exacta key at that price has merit.

Desert Kat (No. 4) is right there in the contention zone with an 82.56 rating and the field's best average speed figure at 56 — that extra tick of raw speed matters over a one-mile flat. George Papaprodromou is a savvy conditioner, and Jeremy Laprida has shown he can manage pace on the front end. At 5/1, this is an excellent place target and a natural exacta mate with the top pick.

Court of Appeal (No. 3) carries a 63.67 rating but boasts a 33% career win rate — the best percentage among the serious contenders in the field. Vladimir Cerin places his horses well in claiming routes, and Kyle Frey knows the Santa Anita surface. At 9/2, he's worth using underneath in trifectas as a hedge against a pace collapse.

Little King (No. 2) draws Umberto Rispoli, who is arguably the best pure turf rider at Southern California tracks right now, and George Papaprodromou's barn is perpetually sharp on the lawn. The 80.42 rating is legitimate, and at 7/5 the public clearly agrees — but as a place ticket the short price is more palatable. If Chiseled in Stone gets loose on the lead, Little King should be right there collecting.

Morning Glass (No. 11) is a sneaky inclusion at 10/1 with a 45.00 TrackWiz rating and a 54 average speed figure that's workable in this field. Kazushi Kimura is one of the hottest jockeys at Santa Anita and he rarely gets on longshots without reason. For trifecta players looking to keep costs down, Morning Glass at double-digit odds is a sensible show anchor.

Catfish Cory (No. 2) is the public's 8/5 choice and owns an eye-popping 50% career win rate — but that number needs context since it likely reflects a small sample. Steven Miyadi is a sharp conditioner in the southern California claiming ranks, and Kazushi Kimura is tough to fade in any race. Even if Jonny's Cap is the better horse on paper, Cory's high win rate is the reason he'll be short in the pools.

Club Fighter (No. 6) also carries a 50% career win rate and draws Juan J. Hernandez — a jockey who excels in short sprints and fights for every inch. His TrackWiz rating of 58.67 is essentially identical to Catfish Cory's 59.00, which makes the 9/5 morning line on two horses with equal ratings an interesting market signal. Craig Lewis trains both Club Fighter and Red Raider in this race, so watch the action to see which barn money favors.

Delaneys Dreamer (No. 10) is a genuinely interesting horse — Joel Rosario gets the mount for Val Brinkerhoff, and the 83.73 TrackWiz rating is robust for a maiden claimer on the lawn. At 5/1 on the morning line, this is the natural place overlay and the obvious exacta partner underneath Sirnami. A 55 average speed figure keeps him honest if the pace gets hot early.

De Facto (No. 6) posts a 57.24 rating with a 54 average speed figure and gets Armando Ayuso up for Brian Koriner at 6/1 — a respectable price in a wide-open maiden event. His rating separates him from the back half of this large field, and Ayuso is typically resourceful in turf routes where trips matter. He's a logical trifecta piece for players looking to stay below the chalk.

Sigma Boy (No. 5) is the clear second-best horse in the field on our numbers at 69.96 — a meaningful fifteen points behind the top pick but a healthy distance ahead of the third contender. John Sadler sends him out at 5/1, which is solid value for a barn that knows maiden routes, and Wandryck Cardoso Franco gives him an experienced hand at a mile. He's the natural landing spot for place bettors who find 6/5 too short.

Lank (No. 9) is trained by Bob Baffert, which always commands attention even in maiden claiming company, and Juan J. Hernandez picks up the mount at a 9/2 morning line. The 54.17 TrackWiz rating lags the top two contenders but sits third in the field, and Baffert rarely enters maiden claimers without a reason. For trifecta players, Lank is the most logical third-place contender on both class and connections.

Ramayana (No. 4) is trained by Richard Mandella — the Hall of Famer who has dominated turf stakes at Santa Anita for decades — and pairs him with international import Jamie P. Spencer, a rider with deep European grass experience. The 70.15 TrackWiz rating and 40% career win rate make him a legitimate threat to outrun his 8/1 morning line. This is a classic value play: a high-win-percentage horse with elite connections at a double-digit morning line.

Cortina d'Amprezzo (No. 2) is also at 8/1 with a 67.58 TrackWiz rating and a 40% career win rate — which makes the Philip D'Amato-Joel Rosario combination extremely interesting at that price. D'Amato is arguably the best grass trainer in California right now, and Rosario rarely climbs aboard without a live chance. In an eleven-horse stakes field, a horse with 40% career wins and this jockey-trainer pairing deserves to be in every exotic ticket.