Southern California

[SoCalMan2]

Interesting ROTW -- lots of chewy stuff in there --

is J.P.\'s Gusto a 0-2-X?  Is it possibly he is distance challenged?  Am worried he might be a one turn horse.  In any case, i like him more than the favorites.

Riveting Reason is more interesting to me than the ROTW gives him credit for.  he is 20-1, so he doesn\'t to be a sure thing to be worth including.  Also, as to the bear in, he is still only 2 and he moved forward nicely off his last bear in.  I am not saying key him, but i am saying include him -- would stink to have the favorites run out and then have this guy get into the exotics and ruin your ticket because you tossed him.

Slammer Time is also interesting if he will really be a price.  I like the big bold jump up figs on the grass.  I tend to forgive the subtle of his last improvement because it was so little rest.  He is coming into here with more rest and i would not be surprised to see a good sized new top.  Again, hard to key a horse like this, but at 20-1, he could easily be another long horse that can hit the super and it would stink to leave him out and beat the favs and have him be the reason you miss it.

Lots more in there, but those are just some thoughts and I am sick of the Zenyatta debate.  She is retired.  In my view, we should have two bulletin boards -- one where people can discuss retired horses and the other where people can discuss horses that are still running.

[alm]

Basically the TG analysis looks good to me...but I would not toss Industry Leader, underlay or not...I think the horse is a key...I think the trainer is very good...I think a modest improvement figures to move the horse way up against a field in which the better horses aren\'t that terrific to begin with.

[Dana666]

ROTW

Note:
Looks like steady rain all day; track usually plays kind to speed/stalkers in that case - historically, this race has played huge for inside speed both in the dirt days and the cushion track era. We\'ll have to observe the conditions carefully. I think this is a pretty weak renewal of what has often been a key race for 2-year-olds throughout the years.

1-Ronin Dax (20-1): Biggest plus is his connections see fit to put him in the race; hard to make a case for him in my opinion.

2-JP\'s Gusto(5-1): I\'m not sure he really wants to go this far, but he has some class, and I guess you could make a case for a good trip, too. Wonder if he sends or takes just back? Can\'t blame you if you like him, though I\'m not 100% sold like the ROTW analyst.

3-Rustler Hustler (9-2): More than a little interesting, especially with all the speed in here. I\'d be inclined to give a long look to this beast. Comes in fresh and ready to explode for Dutrow. He is a synthetic track lover, too.

4-Slammer Time (20-1): Nice little horse, I think he\'s over-matched though.

5-High Level Jeff (8-1): Looks like they gave him a race over the track in last - he did struggle too much for my tastes though. I can never figure \"Drug\" O\'Neill. Good luck if you can.

6-Clubhouse Ride (12-1); Juicy odds for a boarder-line contender; he hasn\'t shown me a love for route racing though. I don\'t like the way he doesn\'t finish.

7-Gourmet Dinner (5-1): Can\'t fault that Delta Race, but I do wonder who he beat. Not sure he has the right running style for the race either.

8-Riveting Reason (20-1) I think he might be a nice horse; that said he hasn\'t shown me enough to be really competitive here.

9-Industry Leader(7-2): Really interesting to me. A world of upside and should get a great stalking trip. I think he\'s very live though the am line is a bit too low considering all he has or has not accomplished. The lack of seasoning and route experience must be considered negatives. Maybe tab for later as he will LOVE dirt at Santa Anita!

10-Comma to the top (3-1): A real puzzler b/c of the post. Will the other speed\'s take back and let him have the early lead? If they do, they\'re in big trouble. If he gets inside pressure to make the lead, I believe he will fade. But I also think he\'ll relish the conditions today, needing to run over the top of the track is what he does, and that is what you\'ll want today. Really tough call with the always interesting C-Nak aboard.

Hope you all can make chicken soup out of chicken feathers here! Honestly, I think it\'s a terrible betting race.