Trainer Bob Baffert can extend his record number of wins in the Santa Ynez Stakes when he saddles Under the Stars in the 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The 68-year-old Baffert has won the Santa Ynez six times, including the last two years with Bast and Kalypso. He will attempt to win No. 7 with Under the Stars, who has one win in three career starts. She is listed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes odds. The John Sadler-trained Big Switch is getting 9-5 odds in the Santa Ynez Stakes field of six.
Post time is 7:06 p.m. ET. With six inexperienced 3-year-old fillies set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes picks.
Few people in racing are as connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
And she has tremendous handicapping chops. In the 2011 Kentucky Derby, she correctly tabbed Animal Kingdom to win at a hefty 21-1. In the 2017 Breeders’ Cup she nailed 11-1 long shot Wuheida to win the Filly and Mare Turf. Last year, in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit as the winner at 12-1. And last week, she hit the exacta in the Sham Stakes for $156.
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes field, made her picks and constructed her bets. You can only see them here.
Top 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu’s top pick is not Under the Stars, even though she is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. A daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, who also sired 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Under the Stars has one win in three career starts. She is coming off her first career victory, a three-length win on Dec. 11.
But in her only other stakes try, two starts ago, she finished third by five lengths. “I think she’s a use but not a slam dunk,” Yu tells SportsLine. Yu prefers another filly over Under the Stars.
How to make 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes picks
Yu’s top pick is a horse who is “extra fit” and “has shown versatility.” She is including this horse in her 2022 Santa Ynez Stakes bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Santa Ynez Stakes 2022? What “extra fit” horse is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Check out the latest Santa Ynez Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks.
2022 Santa Ynez Stakes odds
| 1 | Under the Stars | 8-5 |
| 2 | Big Shamrock | 20-1 |
| 3 | Big Switch | 9-5 |
| 4 | Mimajoon | 10-1 |
| 5 | Awake At Midnyte | 3-1 |
| 6 | Miss Mattie B | 5-1 |
