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Closing day presents a challenging program and since there’s a mandatory payoff in the Pick-6 we might as well take a swing at it.

The 1st race is an inscrutable state bred maiden race for fillies and mares at a mile on turf. Every starter has at least one reason to improve dramatically (or regress). Pass.

The 2nd race should be won by #3 Kalookan Event, but he’s 8/5 on the morning line and is likely to go lower. Beaten a neck in a similar spot last month while earning a very strong Beyer figure (87) for the level, the Headley-trained gelding need only run back to that race today to regain his winning form.

A healthy $94,8972 carryover awaits Pick-6 players on today’s Thursday program. Hopefully we can pay for our ticket with some success in the early Daily Double.

In the 1st race, #3 Swift Demand looks well placed for a score at 3-1 on the morning line. The High Demand gelding switches to Rosario and seems to be rounding back to his best form following a solid third place effort vs. similar while earning a decent number. He should be capable of producing the last run at this abbreviated sprint trip a below par field for the level.

The final week of the 2008-2009 season begins with a decent wagering card and we’ll kick things off using #3 Homemade Brew as a rolling exotic single in the 1st race. The Ted West-trained filly has her physical issues but always tries hard and catches a field her best can handle. Russell won on her two races back and in a field without too much early zip the daughter of Milwaukee Brew should be within easy striking range throughout.

Happy Carryover Easter Sunday! More than $121,000 already is in the Pick-6 pool, and we’ll concentrate on the 4-through-9 scheme today after passing the first three “no value” events.

Today’s program doesn’t offer much quality and does look fairly chalky. We’ll pass the 1st race – a maiden claimer with no value – and begin our action in the 2nd race while expecting #5 My Maloof Rocker to regain her winning form. The Carava-trained filly lost a heartbreaker when nosed out vs. similar last month but certainly performed admirably and beats this field with a similar effort. She wants to be held up early and allowed to run late, and that’s exactly how Rosario rode her last time. She doesn’t have an extended run, though, and her late move needs to be timed perfectly.

Today’s program looks pretty chalky. Field sizes tend to reduce towards the end of the meeting and we’re seeing some of that now as the season winds down. The 1st race should be won by either #1 Personality Kid or #5 Jayden’s Hope and we’ll use both in our rolling exotics. Personality Kid, second in his last pair with solid speed figures for the level, should enjoy a good ground-saving trip from the rail, retains Solis, and won’t have to improve much to finally earn his diploma.

In today’s baby race opener, both #3 Slewkaysa and #4 Swiss Love have displayed excellent speed in morning trials and both should come out firing in their debuts. We’ll use them both in our rolling exotics while trying to beat the experienced #1 Miss Dubai and #10 Giveme Tat Ting, both of whom ran well in their only outings but probably aren’t anything special. We can’t really get a feel for the 2nd race, so we’ll use #1 Gandolf, #5 Scottish Diamond and #6 Call On Carson in our rolling exotics and hope one of them wins.We’re going to pick our spots today, sitting out a few races while trying to focus on those events with the best value. In the 2nd race, a downhill turf sprint, we’ll zero in on the two Mitchell-trained runners, #1 Stretchinthelimits and #2 Bagels N Bones in an exacta box. Stretchinthelimits has winning connections, consistent recent speed figures and a pedigree that should allow her to handle the lawn.A spectacular 11-race Santa Anita Derby program begins early (noon post) with a competitive maiden claimer that has four main contenders. #3 Latego Light, a route to sprint play following a brief freshening for Eurton, fits on figures and should be very dangerous from off the pace. #5 Runway Starlet was beaten as the choice in a similar spot last time out but she’s another who warrants a look based on her numbers and may deserve one more look.