Horse Racing picks at Santa Anita race track on Saturday, January 1: Velvet Slippers are fitting

4:04 pm Santa Anita (Race 3) – Smuggler’s Run 8/5

The unraced Straight Fire gelding has shown plenty of ability in the mornings in recent times including when twice registering the fastest time when working from the gate over five furlongs last month. The most recent of those efforts resulted in a time of 58.80 when 54 worked here on December 18 and having advertised his wellbeing with a solid 49 second flat four furlong breeze here last week he looks capable of getting off the mark on debut.

5:35 pm Santa Anita (Race 6) – Commander 3/1

Has demonstrated good form at this venue in the past most recently when delivering a two length victory over this track and trip in an allowance optional claiming race in October. He had to give best to today’s rival Beer Can Man over shorter in a similar event at Del Mar subsequently but having been beaten just a head that day and with the step up in trip here in his favour he looks up to reversing that form.

6:05 pm Santa Anita (Race 7) – Rockefeller 8/5

The winner of two of his three starts to date the son of Medaglia d’Oro put a disappointing fourth place finish in the Grade 1 American Pharoah here behind him when making all to score by two-and-three-quarter-lengths in the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes at Belmont Park in November. Has been in good form in the mornings since registering his best five furlong work here last week and Flavien Prat’s mount is taken to register a second stakes victory.

6:35 pm Santa Anita (Race 8) – Luck 8/5

Showed ability when winning in France but has taken her form to a new level since joining Richard Baltas following up an allowance optional claiming race success at Del Mar with two Graded stakes seconds including when runner-up in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive here on her penultimate start. Went down by a head dropped to Grade 3 company at Del Mar subsequently and looks up to going one better in this contest under Flavien Prat.

7:05 pm Santa Anita (Race 9) – Velvet Slippers 5/2

The Quality Road filly has won two of her five previous starts and showed that she can be competitive in stakes company when runner-up in a minor event at Los Alamitos in September. Took a step forward from that when taking an allowance optional claimer at Del Mar in November and having battled to a neck triumph on that occasion and with top jockey John Velazquez booked the $425,000 yearling purchase can prove capable of registering a first graded triumph.