In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.

Results

Thursday

Santa Anita, race 8. Seven furlongs is clearly the perfect distance for Raging Torrent. He won three straight starts over this trip during the spring and summer, including the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien against older horses. Then, after a seventh-place finish in the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Raging Torrent returned to seven furlongs and delivered victory in the Malibu (G1) on opening day at Santa Anita, his third triumph as a watch list member this year.

In the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Raging Torrent broke from the rail and got buried inside behind the leaders. In the Malibu, he broke from the outside post in a six-horse field and tracked fractions of 22.19 and 44.29 seconds in second place before taking over to score by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:21.54 seconds. With a Grade 1 win under his belt, Raging Torrent appears poised for a productive 4-year-old campaign in 2025.

Two other watch-list members competed in the Malibu. Santa Anita optional-claiming allowance winner Pilot Commander faded to finish fourth after setting the pace, and 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan failed to challenge in his return from a layoff, finishing last by 11 1/4 lengths. I’ll drop both from my watch list.

Santa Anita, race 10. Another horse I’ll remove from my watch list is Kinza. The Las Virgenes (G3) and Santa Ysabel (G3) winner suffered her second straight defeat when returning from an 8 1/2-month layoff in the La Brea (G1), fading to finish last out of eight while beaten 17 lengths. I’ll want to see her bounce back with a sharper performance before supporting her again.

In contrast, I’ll forgive the defeat of Accuracy, a watch-list member who settled in seventh place early on before passing a couple of rivals to finish fifth by 6 1/4 lengths. I believe Accuracy is better racing around two turns, and stretching back out over one mile or farther should help this daughter of Arrogate return to winning form.

Entries

Friday

Oaklawn, race 5. With three wins and two fifths from five starts, Booth isn’t the most consistent horse in training. But when he brings his A game, he’s a formidable sprinter. The 3-year-old son of Mitole demonstrated his talent when ending an eight-month layoff in a 6 1/2-furlong, $125,000 optional-claiming allowance at Churchill Downs earlier this month, pressing the pace on his way to victory by 1 1/2 lengths.

Perhaps Booth can win back-to-back races for the first time in his career when tackling a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn. He’s 3-for-3 in non-stakes races and won a $100,000 allowance optional claimer over this track and distance last winter by 4 1/4 lengths, so there are good reasons to believe Booth can deliver a winning run.

Saturday

Santa Anita, race 7. Momad made a nice impression when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar in September. After rating in midfield against a strong pace, the 4-year-old son of Nyquist rallied strongly down the homestretch to defeat a next-out winner by one length.

Momad hasn’t raced since, but the John Shirreffs trainee has turned in sharp workouts in advance of his return in a $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Santa Anita. His debut victory yielded a sharp 100 Brisnet Speed Rating, and a repeat of that number on Saturday ought to allow Momad to win for the second time in as many starts.

Here is my complete, updated list of Horses to Watch.