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The Thunder Road Grade 3

1. Ronald R(IRE)- Van Dyke/Ellis
   1. Coming off of about a 3 month layoff Ronald R is definitely a contender if the pace falls apart which it could very likely happen. He has probably one of the stronger late kicks out of the rest of the field in my opinion and Van Dyke is a good turf rider. Despite Ronald R’s most recent loss in which he lost by a lot and never responded, which is most likely the reason for the layoff, Ronald R has been on a little bit of a streak when it comes to good form. His numbers are there and his runstyle can be beneficial today, so watch out for him down the stretch late. 
2. The Hunted- G. Franco/Batlas
   1. The Hunted always shows up and tries but sometimes he just needs to have the race fall into his lap down the stretch in order to make some noise. This will be the first time ever most likely that Franco has ridden him which could be beneficial as Franco is better than Tiago right now. The Hunted seems to need to be close to the pace early on or he won’t get his full ability brought out of him. I see him being able to possibly do that today but with the concern of him not getting the trip he prefers, I will be looking elsewhere. 
3. Majestic Eagle- Rispoli/Drysdale
   1. Majestic Eagle gets Rispoli aboard for the first time and Rispoli is a very talented rider who just moved his tack to Santa Anita at the start of this meet. Coming out of consecutive Grade 2 races in which he ran 3rd and 4th respectfully, he seems to know the class by now. He is a mid pack closer which might work today as there is some early pace lined up today. I trust rispoli will have him in the needed spot early on and to get the most out of him. However, he is too much of a hanger down the lane for me to back. 
4. True Valour(IRE)- Atzeni/Callaghan
   1. True Valour gets Azteni back aboard today and Azteni has brought home some of True Valour’s best races to date. The past two starts for him have been headscratchers. The BC Mile you can toss as the class in those races is incredibly tough for him. He doesn’t like to sprint so the last race can also be a toss. So then you can see that he won a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 last year at SA and ran his career best numbers in those two races. If he returns to that form, he can win for fun but that’s my main concern. I like him today and will be using him on every ticket. 
5. Mugaritz- Smith/Wong
   1. Good old Mugaritz is a biased horse of mine and will always be on my tickets as a top selection so if you don’t like biased picks go with my 2nd-4th picks today, my apologies. I was very disappointed with him in his previous start in the San Antonio but also expected it from him at the same time. He isn’t much of a dirt horse but rather a very good Synthetic and turf horse. He needs to sit super close to the lead or be on the lead in order to get full run out of him. Wong will have him right and will have Smith sit the right trip hopefully. Smith isn’t nearly the best turf rider, but can still get the job done. I think Mugaritz brings the best value in this field as well sitting at 8/1 ML. Top Pick for me.
6. River Boyne (IRE)- Cedillo/Mullins
   1. River Boyne is a very questionable entrant today. He seems to always run a huge race but never able to get the job done. Cedillo rides today for the first time and should get some more out of him today if the horse allows it. I think he will be able to pick up some of the money but I think he likes to do just that and not actually win.
7. Frontier Market- Prat/Sadler
   1. Frontier Market is a former Chad Brown horse as Hronis Racing has moved him out west with Sadler.He isn’t the classiest of horses in this field but has been able to be consistent. This will be a step up in class for him but his form says he should be able to handle it. Can Sadler compete with Chad Brown when it comes to getting this horse into tip top shape for a turf race, I don’t know. However, I do know he will be on all my tickets as he might be the best horse in form right now. 
8. Camino Del Paraiso- Pereria/Jauregui
   1. Camino Del Paraiso is a synthetic horse going to turf today. Turf is not this horse’s strong suit and also seems to be where he runs 2nd the most. I wish one of the Golden Gate jockeys was coming in to ride him today because I would be more confident in him. I just don’t see the form being there for this horse which makes him more of a pretender than a contender for him.
9. Take the One O One- Blanc/Kornier
   1. I never play horses coming off of a year or more layoff and Take the One O One is a horse coming in off of a year and a half layoff. This is as tough of spots can be for a horse returning to the races off of such a layoff. He will be sent early but I think he will get tired and or possibly fade badly. He is more of a dirt horse and turf seems to be a place he got lucky on once. 
10. Kingly- Gutierrez/Baffert
    1. Kingly seems to be in every Grade 2 turf race in California. He gets blinkers back on today and should be sent from the 10 hole. I would prefer him to have a better post as he might get a wide trip if the horse to the inside of him also goes. He seems to very rarely hold on for the whole race which should happen again today. The blinkers on does and will help him today however, and if you like pace plays, he is the one you should choose.

TOP PICKS-

#5 Mugaritz- BIAS PICK

#4 True Valour- ALTERNATE TOP PICK

#7 Frontier Market

#1 Ronald R.