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ARCADIA, Calif. -- This time of year, so much of the focus in horse racing is in on the 3-year-old races, attempting to predict who will - and won’t - make it to Louisville for the first Saturday in May. The analysis of those races involves a fair amount of looking forward - trying to assess which horses will develop and get better as they move along in their young careers.
The Grade 3 San Marcos, a mile-and-a-quarter turf race at Santa Anita, offers a reprieve from that. It’s a race for older horses going the classic distance on turf. We know a ton about the runners, and the only analysis to do is in attempting to figure out the shape of the race.
The list of winners of this race isn’t star-studded, but is full of many colts, geldings, and horses who ran honest races and even picked off a few stakes, too. The card on Saturday at Santa Anita might have some lighter fields, but the Turf Pick 3 is loaded: fields of 8, 10, and 11 greet us there; we’ll put together a ticket for that sequence here. Let’s meet the field.
Santa Anita Park. Race 7. Grade 3 San Marcos. 1 ¼ miles, turf. 4+up. $100,000.
1. Dicey Mo Chara. 8/1. Jockey: Juan Hernandez. Trainer: Leonard Powell.
Dicey Mo Chara has been a mainstay on the California turf scene for years. The only problem? He hasn’t won since December, 2022. He picked off $160k in purses over 6 runs in 2025, so it isn’t as though he isn’t paying his bills. Jockey Juan Hernandez was aboard for his last win 2+ years ago; we’ll let him beat us in this spot.
Comment: Leave out.
2. There Goes Harvard. 6/1. Jockey: Frankie Dettori. Trainer: Mike McCarthy.
From time to time, we see horses switch surfaces and have success. Often, it’s a desperation move by a trainer to get their horses in the winner’s circle in any manner they can. There Goes Harvard is the former: he ran well in his previously life on the dirt, but seems to have found a home on the turf. Like Dicey Mo Chara, he hasn’t won in a long time, last winning in May of 2022. He had an injury setback that took much of his 2023 season, but a second-place finish in the G2 John Henry opened some eyes. We’ll pass on him here, but would not be surprised to see him get a good check.
Comment: include in exotics.
3. Lord Bullingdon. 20/1. Jockey: Kyle Frey. Trainer: Mike McCarthy.
Lord Bullingdon might be worth taking a swing on - if you love a longshot play. He’s own twice at Santa Anita, and while he’s never gone this far in any race, he has shown ability in lots of two turn races. Like the first two contenders in this race, he didn’t win a race in 2024; he was part of a blanket finish in the Grade 2 Transylvania at Keeneland last spring, and has shown flashes of ability. We’ll toss him here, but if you want a longshot capable of winning, he’s your play.
Comment: longshot potential.
4. Nineeleventurbo. 12/1. Jockey: Mike Smith. Trainer: Neil Drysdale.
Continuing the drought trend in this starting gate, Nineeleventurbo comes in having gone winless in 2024. He did finish a solid 3rd in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar in November, and ran very well in the Tapit at Kentucky Downs. He does have three wins lifetime at Santa Anita, with the last coming back in June of 2023. He has hit the board in 8 of his last 13 runs, so perhaps he’s a smart include in exactas and trifectas. As a winner? No.
Comment: toss.
5. Atitlan. 10/1. Jockey: Hector Berrios. Trainer: John Shirreffs.
Atitlan is the most logical of the longshots, with two wins last year in his first year of racing. After a maiden win at Del Mar over a mile on the turf course, he won the Grade 2 Twilight Derby, stalking his competitors all race before putting them away at the end. He ran well in his most recent effort, a 3rd place finish in the Grade 2 Mathis Mile. The distance is certainly a question, but the ability is not. We’ll include him as a live longshot.
Comment: live longshot.
6. Truly Quality. 8/5. Jockey: Vincent Cheminaud. Trainer: Jonathan Thomas.
Trainer Jonathan Thomas is shipping in “wherever you wanna be” jockey Vincent Cheminaud for this one, with those connections teaming up on Truly Quality’s last two races, both wins. He will have his work cut out for him, as there isn’t much pace in the overall race projection. It appears that Dicey Mo Chara may inherit the lead by default, and a horse like Truly Quality is going to have to chase most of the field down. In wins at Keeneland and Colonial Downs last year, Truly Quality showed an ability to be mid-pack and stalk; if he can do that in the San Marcos, he’ll be an easy winner.
Comment: most likely winner.
7. Divin Propos. 3/1. Jockey: Umberto Rispoli. Trainer: Phil D’Amato.
Divin Propos won twice last year - both on the turf course at Santa Anita. Both were in optional claimers, but both were longer races over this course. Prior to starting his career in the USA, Divin Propos won multiple lower-level stakes in France, and 2-for-5 since his arrival stateside. Both of his runs in graded stakes company have been respectable, but incomplete; he’s hit the board at the distance 6 out of 7 times, but looks to be outclassed in this one.
Comment: toss.
8. Easter. 5/1. Jockey: Antonio Fresu. Trainer: Phil D’Amato.
Tell us if you’ve heard this before: Easter comes out of a winless 2024, while running in superior company. In 5 of his races last year, he finished behind Johannes - a finalist for turf horse of the year in 2024 - so it’s hard to hold those races against him. He’s mega competitive, and we’ll use him alongside Truly Quality in our Pick 3.
Comment: Include.
The Sporting Tribune Wager:
$3 Turf Pick 3, starts Race 7: 6,8 / 1,5,7 / 6,10,11 Ticket cost: $54.
Good luck this weekend!