Today’s Picks › Santa Anita Picks › Fri, Oct 30
- Races
- 9
- Surfaces
- 5 Turf · 4 Dirt
- First post
- 1:00local time
- Top purse · Race 4
- OC 80k/C
- Best Bet · Race 7
- 3Delightful Laura Took a big step forward last time
- Value play · Race 4
- 5Ahrens Bet at 7-2 or higher
2 hand-picked plays every week, free
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Santa Anita picks, race by race
- 3Top pickTropical Rain DayAyuso A · Garcia Victor L
Why Tropical Rain Day: Tactical type who can stalk the leaders. Finished 2nd in her last start, a nose behind the winner. Victor Garcia gets good results with sprinters.
- 6Top pickClouseauEspinoza V · Papaprodromou George
Why Clouseau: Holds a big edge on recent speed over this group. Finished 3rd in his last start, 9½ lengths behind the winner. Drops from a $50,000 claimer to $32,000.
- 1Top pickSogno Di VinoBaze T C · Stute Gary
Why Sogno Di Vino: Owns the best recent speed figures in the field. Comes in off a win. Trainer Gary Stute has a strong record with route runners.
Value play6 Jimmy Blue Jeans Bet at 10-1 or higher
The kind of contender the betting tends to underrate. Coming off the best race of the current form cycle. Ran 3rd last out, beaten 4½ lengths.
- 4Top pickCaptivatorAyuso A · Sadler John W
Why Captivator: Only one horse in here has run faster lately. Finished 3rd in his last start, 3 lengths behind the winner. Rarely runs a bad one: top three in 5 of 6 lately.
Value play5 Ahrens Bet at 7-2 or higher
Went off at 14-1 last time but rates as a real contender here. Tops this field on recent speed. Won last time out in an optional claimer.
- 8Top pickProof He GoesVan Dyke D · Papaprodromou George
Why Proof He Goes: Three straight races of improvement. Broke through with a win in his last start. Finished in the top three in 3 of 4 recent races.
- 4Top pickIcecream OnthesideAyuso A · Miyadi Steven
Why Icecream Ontheside: Has improved in each of the last three starts. Drops from maiden special weight into a maiden claimer. The Steven Miyadi barn does well with turf horses switching to dirt.
- 3Top pickDelightful LauraBerrios Hector I · Eurton Peter
Why Delightful Laura: Took a big step forward last time. Fits on speed with the best of this group. Only a neck back in 5th last time.
Full card: the top three with win estimates, pace notes and confidence for every race here and at every other track. It covers the day you buy it and the next, so grab it on race day. Race Day Pass $10
- 2Top pickFactor PAyuso A · Garcia Antonio C
Why Factor P: Took a big step forward last time. Won last time out in an optional claimer. Proven at this kind of distance.
- 7Top pickAbsolutionGonzalez R · Baffert Bob
Why Absolution: Turf router with a late kick, which usually matters most here. Finished 3rd in his last start, 1½ lengths behind the winner. Bob Baffert gets good results with two-year-olds.
Also eligible, runs only if there are scratches: Shake for One
More picks for Friday, October 30
Santa Anita picks archive
Santa Anita picks FAQ
Are these Santa Anita picks free?
Yes. Every Santa Anita card gets a free top pick for every race, a value play with the minimum odds worth taking, and the Best Bet of the day. Trackside Edge members also get the top three in every race with win estimates, pace notes, confidence ratings and multi-race tickets.
When are Santa Anita picks posted?
Our Santa Anita picks go up before the card, once entries are out, usually a day or more ahead. This page always shows the current or next Santa Anita card, and every past card stays in the archive below.
How are the Santa Anita picks made?
Every horse is rated by the TracksideProfits handicapping model: speed figures, current form and the likely pace first, then trainer and jockey, distance and surface fit and pedigree, then class, layoffs and workouts.
What does "Bet at 6-1 or higher" mean on a value play?
It is the lowest price at which the value play is worth a bet based on our win estimate. If the horse is shorter than that at post time, the value is gone.
What if one of the picks scratches?
Move to the next pick in that race. Picks are made before scratches and late changes, so always check the final field before you bet.
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Updated Oct 28, 2026