How to bet the Twilight Derby

A compact field of five will travel nine panels on the Santa Anita turf course in Saturday’s $200,000 Twilight Derby (G2). The Graham Motion-trained #5 Test Score (4-5) is the obvious one to beat while making his Santa Anita debut. By Lookin at Lucky, the Amerman homebred has won or placed in five of six starts in 2025, led by a score in the Belmont Derby (G1) at Saratoga on July 4. 

Twilight Derby Wagers

• $20 exacta 5 with 3 ($20)
• $10 trifecta key 5 with 2,3 ($20)

Test Score was an even fourth in the deep Nashville Derby (G3) at 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs in his latest appearance, and I feel that the colt will relish the cut back to 1 1/8 miles in this spot. I’m not sure that I am thrilled that the talented sophomore will have blinkers on for the initial time, although I trust this barn and will give him the nod, nonetheless, with Juan Hernandez taking the reins. 

I am between a pair of runners to finish second in the race and ultimately landed with Baffle S. hero #3 Scipio (9-2). The dark bay son of Caravaggio wasn’t very sharp in a pair of runs at Churchill Downs in the spring, but he comes in fresh for this one and also dons a two-for-two mark at Santa Anita. The Richard Baltas pupil will track the pace from second early on with Antonio Fresu in the silks. 

German Group 3 victor #2 Namaron (2-1) finished a very good third in the lucrative Gun Runner S. at Kentucky Downs in his U. S. debut and looms large with any improvement in his second stateside run. Trained by John Sadler, the son of Amaron has won or placed in each of his six career starts to date, and he showed a lot of heart in overcoming a poor break to run big in a 14-horse field most recently. The win threat has posted a handful of quick five-furlong moves leading up to his first run on the strip and will have excellent turf pilot Hector Berrios in the irons.