How to bet the 2025 Santa Margarita Stakes

Trainer Bob Baffert has a pair of imposing fillies signed on for the $200,000 Santa Margarita S. (G2) at Santa Anita on Sunday. The 1 1/8-mile dirt affair attracted a field of six, but I think it will ultimately come down to the two from the barn of the Hall of Fame conditioner in the final yards. 

Santa Margarita Wagers

• $20 exacta 4 with 6 ($20)
• $10 trifecta key 4 with 5,6 ($20)

#4 Splendora is a Grade-1 placed four-year-old who has run into some really good ones in her last three assignments and looks good in this spot in her first run at nine panels. By Audible, the La Brea S. (G1) runner-up was clearly second behind the talented Richi most recently in her two-turn debut and has room to improve while making her second try off the layoff. 

The Maryland-bred filly likes the surface, she has excellent positional speed, and I also like her post draw. She's close enough to the rail to save ground. Go-to pilot Juan Hernandez will take the reins and have the top pick in first or second in the early stages of the affair. 

#6 Seismic Beauty aced her route debut by 10 commanding lengths in her latest performance and has fired bullets in two of her last three morning moves in advance of Sunday. Also a Maryland-bred, the daughter of Uncle Mo is among the swiftest runners in the group and will be forcing the action while clear throughout with Antonio Fresu in the silks. I expect the four-year-old to be in with a winning chance inside the final furlong in her second two-turn endeavor. 

John Sadler’s #5 Alpha Bella is just 3-for-21 lifetime, but the daughter of Justify has been second in four graded stakes tilts in her last five assignments and showed her versatility with a sharp second on the lawn in the Wilshire S. (G3) most recently. The Kentucky-bred chestnut has posted a trio of smart five-furlong moves on the surface lately, and she is a most logical exotics contender with Umberto Rispoli taking the reins. 

Join us on June 7 for a rematch that will shake the stands. Many top Kentucky Derby contenders return for the Belmont S. to fight for the finish, including probable contender Journalism, winner of Preakness 150, and Sovereignty, winner of Derby 151. Who will stand in the winner's circle for Belmont?

Stay with us throughout Belmont Day during stakes races as we bring you the latest horse racing news, live odds, expert picks, and more. It is sure to be an exciting day of racing!