Santa Anita Park Offers a Full Weekend of Major Graded Stakes

The biggest horse racing event of the year is the annual two-day Breeders’ Cup in early November. Santa Anita Park closes out the last weekend in September with a two-day card of major graded races that could have a big impact on the field for several of this year’s BC races.

Friday’s main attraction at Santa Anita is the Eddie D. Stakes. Taking center stage in a day full of big betting events, the Awesome Again Stakes is the featured race on Saturday.


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Eddie D. Stakes Preview – Santa Anita Park

Date: Friday, September 25th 2020

The Eddie D. is a Grade 2 stakes race open to Thoroughbreds three and older. This sprint will be contested on the turf track at Santa Anita over a distance of 5½ furlongs.

There is nothing more exciting than watching a few world class sprinters compete over such a short distance. Speed is the key in this race and a few of the seven entries have more than enough to spare.

Breaking from the No. 6 post, El Tigre Terrible could be the horse to beat in Friday’s main event. Trained by Peter Miller and ridden by jockey Flavian Pratt, this three-year old colt is coming off a victory in the ungraded Real Good Deal Stakes on dirt at Del Mar on July 31. The son of Smiling Tiger covered seven furlongs in 1:24.28.

The other speedster to watch in this race is trainer Jeff Bonde’s Sparky Ville. The four-year-old will look to bounce back from a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar with veteran jockey Mike Smith getting the ride.


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Awesome Again Stakes Preview – Santa Anita Park

Date: Saturday, September 26th 2020

The final field for this Grade 1 event is still fluid with seven entries listed as probable at Horse Racing Nation. It is open to Thoroughbreds three and older. Saturday’s main event will cover 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Santa Anita.

Horse racing bettors are hoping to see Maximum Security get a chance to extend his current six-race winning streak. The four-year old Kentucky-bred colt has been on a tear with Bob Baffert as his trainer. Look for jockey Luis Saez to get the ride on Saturday.

On track to headline the Breeders’ Cup Classic, his notable wins so far this year include the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. The son of New Year’s Day covered the 1 ¼ miles on dirt at Del Mar in 2:01.24.

Over the course of his 12 career races going back to 2018, he has won 10 of them. You could argue 11 counting the disqualification in the 2019 Kentucky Derby.

The biggest competition could come from another Baffert-trained entry, Improbable. This four- year old colt has won his last two races as part of four finishes in the money over six events.

After placing first in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita in early June, he won the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on the East Coast at Saratoga on Aug. 1. He posted a winning time of 1:48.65 covering 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

When it comes to a trifecta play, you can add Sharp Samurai to the list. He placed second in the recent Pacific Classic.