Best Horse Racing Bets Today | Santa Anita, January 11

Many of the top horses bred or sired in California will be on display on Saturday at Santa Anita. Leading the five stake races on California Cup Day will be the $175,000 California Cup Derby for sophomore males. The 1 1/16-mile test features a rematch of the top two finishers in last month’s King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos, where Shea Brennan and I’m a Bad Boy were separated by just a nose.

The afternoon’s other stakes races, also celebrating California-breds and sires, include the $175,000 California Cup Oaks for 3-year-old turf fillies, the $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for older grass males, and the California Cup Sprint for older dirt sprinters.  Without further ado, let’s get to my top picks and plays strong day of racing from Southern California.

Race #5 California Cup Sprint $125,000 6-Furlongs Dirt - 4:30pm EST

Never out of the money in twelve career starts, Big City Lights is the one they will have to beat when he headlines a compact field of five in the $125,000 California Cup Sprint on Saturday at Santa Anita. 

After having faced some of the top sprinters in the country, the 6-year-old son of Mr. Big enjoyed a drop in class last time, winning the Cary Grant Stakes against fellow California-breds for fun. A winner of half of his lifetime starts, the four-time stakes winner finished second by a neck in this race last year to the crack sprinter The Chosen Vron.

Chief among his rivals in this 6-furlong test will be Clovisconnection. Another horse with an outstanding career record, the 5-year-old son of Vronsky has made it to the winner’s circle in 11 of his 17 career starts. Although he has much of his success in smaller tracks than Santa Anita, he has proven his class by winning numerous stakes races against open company. Most recently, he has won two in a row at this 6-furlong distance. 

Of the rest, Smiling Beast looks to be the most dangerous. A winner of two sharp sprints in his only career starts, he will get a real class test from the top two on Saturday. In a strong matchup between the two favorites, I will go with Big City Lights as my top pick.

My Plays

• $20 Exacta - Big City Lights over Clovisconnection = $20

• $10 Exacta - Clovisconnection over Big City Lights = $10

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Race #9 Unusual Heat Turf Classic $175,000 1 1/8-Miles Turf - 6:30pm EST

Twice a stakes winner in his last four races, On the Wim could be the favorite in a wide open field of eleven older California-bred males in the Unusual Heat Turf Classic on Saturday at Santa Anita.

The son of Acclamation has won half of his eight career starts on the grass for trainer Dean Pederson. Among those victories are the California Dreaming at Del Mar and the California Flag at Santa Anita which were his last two starts against fellow state-breds. Most recently he finished off the board after a rough trip against open allowance runners.

The speedy Fast Buck was narrowly beaten in the California Flag and came back last time to set all the pace in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit. Likely to be out on the lead again on Saturday, the graded stakes winner will have to deal with plenty of other speed in this 9-furlong affair.

Trainer Mark Glatt has two in this one and both could take advantage of a fast pace. Old Pal won the Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita in 2023 and was a consistent rallier in 2024. Aligato, meanwhile, has just missed in this race the last two seasons, but will be making his first start in more than eight months. Training well for his return, he is the top pick.

My Play

• $10 Daily Double part wheel - Aligato and Old Pal with R Heisman and Accidental Genius = $40

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Race #10 California Cup Derby $175,000 1 1/16-Miles Dirt - 7:00pm EST

A game winner over several horses in the field last time, Shea Brennan will look to make it two straight stakes wins when he tops a field of eight sophomores in Saturday’s $175,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita.

Trained by Phil D’Amato, the son of Tough Sunday has not finished worse than third in five career starts. After finishing third in first two stakes tries, both at Del Mar, he broke through last time when stretched out to a mile in the King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos. On the pace the whole way in that one, he will likely have to contend with more early pace here.

Both I’m a Bad Boy and R Heisman were close last time in the King Glorious and are capable of turning the tables on Saturday. The former just missed by a nose and had a wide trip, while the latter was beaten just a half-length after rallying and shifting out in the stretch. R Heisman also picks up top rider Flavien Prat for this one.

A potential upsetter in the field is the late-running Accidental Genius. In a field filled with speed, he should get plenty of pace to set up his closing kick. He is also proven at the distance and coming in with very good form. Overall, however, R Heisman is the one I like the best. He is the top pick.

My Plays 

• $10 Exacta Part Wheel - R Heisman over Accidental Genius, Shea Brennan, and I’m a Bad Boy = $30

• $5 Exacta Part Wheel - Accidental Genius over R Heisman, Shea Brennan, and I’m a Bad Boy = $15

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Race #11 California Cup Oaks $175,000 1-Mile Turf - 7:30pm EST

Trainer Doug O’Neill will have three chances when he sends out Tequilaandtherapy, Less is More, and Pavel is Appealing to headline a full field sophomore fillies in Saturday’s $175,000 California Cup Oaks at Santa Anita.

In a very wide open race, all three of the O’Neill runners are in with a chance. Tequilaandtherapy became a stakes winner two starts back at Del Mar when she defeated rival Grateful My Love be a nose in the Golden State Juvenile. Both are threats here after finishing third and fourth respectively in the Soviet Problem Stakes at Los Alamitos behind another California Cup Oaks entrant Hey Jessie.

The other two O’Neill runners include the maiden Less is More, who exits a sharp second on the turf, and Pavel is Appealing, who has won two of three and looked good winning a Del Mar allowance in her last. She also had trouble in her only loss which was the Golden State Juvenile. 

Others to fear on Saturday include the sharp debut winner Take Another Card, and the aforementioned Grateful My Love and Hey Jessie. The latter defeated several in the field in the Soviet Problem in what was her dirt debut. This race has numerous potential winners, but I will side with Pavel is Appealing off her strong win last time. She is the top pick.

My Play

• $20 Win & Place - Pavel is Appealing = $40

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