The action-packed card is worth the wait. There are six stakes on the agenda, including a trio of grade 1s. Two of the most competitive races of the afternoon are the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) and the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1), a pair of seven-furlong sprints for three-year-olds, the latter being for fillies.
Here’s how I see the two races unfolding:
La Brea
De La Brea has drawn a competitive field of 11 horses. You can make a case for plenty of fillies finishing in the top three, but for profit purposes I’m drawn to number 9 Red formula (3-1).
Submissions: La Brea S. presented by Don Julio (G1)
Santa Anita Park, Sunday December 28, 2025, race 8
- Grade I
- 7f
- Filthy
- $300,000
- 3 year old mares
- 2:43 PM (local)
Formula Rossa has shown flashes of serious talent. She debuted in a six-furlong special weight on February 21 at Santa Anita, following the pace before taking over to defeat the next winner and La Brea entrant #6 Brilliant (6-1) in the sharp time of 1:08.73.
Formula Rossa was then on the sidelines for more than four months before returning to action on August 3 against older horses in a six-furlong $40,000 allowance optional claimer. Sea. This time she went all the way, beating her opponents by 6 1/2 lengths in 1:09.14, earning a strong Brisnet Speed Rating of 103 and a Beyer Speed Figure of 98. These numbers are among the highest in the La Brea field.
Just three weeks later, 5-year-old Sweet Azteca (a Grade 1 winner and one of the nation’s top female sprinters) turned heads in the 6 1/2 furlong Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3) at Del Mar. Formula Rossa dueled with Sweet Azteca through intense splits of :21.82 and :43.81 before finishing second. She was beaten only 3 1/2 lengths by Sweet Azteca while finishing 2 3/4 lengths ahead of her Chismosa a 5-year-old with five stakes wins to her name.
Formula Rossa has been freshened up since the Rancho Bernardo and enters the La Brea after a sharp series of training sessions for trainer Mark Glatt. According to Brisnet statistics, Glatt wins at a solid 19% rate, with horses returning after a layoff of 90 days or more. Add to that the presence of jockey Mike Smith (five-time winner of the La Brea) and Formula Rossa is a convincing choice to triumph on the opening day of Santa Anita.
For second place, I’m siding with longshot #1 Just a joke (20-1). This Kentucky Oaks (G1) starter has shown talent, including becoming the second through four-year-old Ballerina Stakes (G1) winner Hoopweg in last month’s one-mile Bayakoa (G3) at Del Mar. I am optimistic that returning to the 3 year old ranks and moving back to 7 furlongs will see a competitive outing from Simply Joking.
Malibu
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won the Malibu six times since 2011. In search of a seventh victory, he will saddle half of the ten horses that competed in the 2025 Malibu.
Submissions: Malibu S. (G1)
Santa Anita Park, Sunday December 28, 2025, race 10
- Grade I
- 7f
- Filthy
- $300,000
- 3 years
- 3:49 PM (local)
The cheapest of the Baffert interns is number 9 Barnes (3-1), and understandably so. The son of an eternal guiding father In mischief has shown good form sprinting 7 furlongs, winning the San Vicente Stakes (G2) and Perryville Stakes (G3) and finishing third in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1).
I respect Barnes and expect him to deliver another strong performance in the Malibu. But my top choice is Baffert’s #8 Horn of plenty (7-2).
Another son of Into Mischief, Cornucopian, impressed when he made his debut in a six-furlong special weight at Oaklawn Park. He led all the way through fast pace fractions and dominated by 5 3/4 lengths over the next winner No sugar who recently returned from a long break to finish second by half a length in the Zia Park Derby.
Cornucopian’s debut victory produced strong speed figures of 100 (Brisnet) and 101 (Beyer). Unfortunately, while attempting to make a sharp step forward in class and distance for the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby (G1), he became embroiled in a destructive speed duel with splits of :22.46, :45.21 and 1:10.37. After half a mile Cornucopian and pace rival Speed king had cleared the rest of the field by 8 1/2 lengths. Unsurprisingly, they were both tired, although Cornucopian held on much better than Speed King, finishing fourth by 8 1/2 lengths.
Four weeks later, Cornucopian attempted to bounce back in an optional $100,000 one-mile claimer at Aqueduct racecoursebut after setting a strong pace in second place he failed to chase down the gate-to-wire winner and tired to finish second by 3 1/4 lengths.
After that defeat, Cornucopian disappeared from the work tab and did not return to serious training until late October. Since then, he has had a series of promising workouts, capped off with a 6-furlong bullet in 1:12 4/5 at Santa Anita. I believe moving back to 7 furlongs and dropping the blinders on his return will allow Cornucopian to bounce back and win the Malibu under Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavien Prat.
Now it’s your turn! Who do you like on Santa Anita’s opening day?
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