Pick 3 of the Week: Santa Anita Saturday, March 7

The Pick 3 of the Week will come from Santa Anita on Saturday, with a trio of races for sophomores as my focus.

Race 6 Wager

$1 Pick 3: all with 1,3,5,11 with 4 ($40)

Race 6 – Maiden Special Weight

An exciting cast of three-year-olds will run 6 1/2 panels on the dirt in a testing opening leg of the sequence. Three of the four horses that have run previously have flashed a whole lot of potential, while five of the six first-timers in the field hail from strong barns and were also expensive auction buys. I’m buying the race and look forward to watching the dash that could produce one or more stakes runners. 

Race 7 – Maiden Special Weight

A full field of sophomore fillies will jaunt six panels on the lawn in a challenging second piece. I’ll go four-deep in the heat, led by #1 Mo Sasha (2-1), who closed in the lane to be a clear second going down the hill in her unveiling. The $400,000 daughter of Constitution will be a major player, with even slight improvement, and Juan Hernandez retains the mount. 

#3 Prove Your Point (15-1) is a $550,000 daughter of fine turf influence Justify, who is cut out to thrive on the green for Mark Glatt. #5 Padel Addict (8-1) didn’t fire late in a route run in his U. S. debut last time, but her fourth behind Group 1 winners Gstaad and True Love, as well as the Group 1 placed Havana Anna, in a sprint in Ireland on debut can’t be ignored. European import #11 Whatastarr (15-1) sped four panels in rapid time in a drill at this venue most recently, and the Powell pupil will have Mike Smith in the irons. 

Race 8 – San Felipe (G2)

The Bob Baffert-trained #4 Brant (1-1) had a strong two-year-old season, led by a win in the Del Mar Futurity (G1), and seems poised to pick up where he left off in 2026. The $3 million son of Gun Runner has been training in swift fashion in preparation for his seasonal bow, and while he is facing some serious runners in the tilt, I still expect him to be the one under Florent Geroux.