ARCADIA, Calif. – Handicapping paradoxes abound Friday at Santa Anita. Those include lone speed on a closers-friendly turf course, a first-time Lasix user who might be distance challenged, and a low figure earned in a productive race. How should bettors cope with conflicting factors? By insisting on a fair price. That won’t happen the final two races. Jubilant Joanie in race 8 and Muscled in race 9 are conspicuous favorites Friday. Jubilant Joanie has won seven of her last eight, and the versatile mare earns higher figures than her rivals in the entry-level allowance dirt mile. Jubilant Joanie is listed at 7-5 on the morning line. Muscled, 2-1 on the morning line, is similarly reliable in the finale, a turf mile for maiden 3-year-olds. Back-to-back runner-up finishes by Muscled look better in hindsight. The winners of both races won stakes their next start. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Wagering on obvious horses like Jubilant Joanie and Muscled has been a winning strategy this winter at Santa Anita. Favorites have won 48 percent (140 of 289). But the search for overlays, and avoidance of underlays, continues. Friday includes examples of both. Presider, the favorite in race 3, looks like lone speed in the nonwinners-of-three starter allowance. But his style is ineffective at 1 1/8 miles on turf. None of the 13 races at the distance were won by the pacesetter. Four winners pressed from second or third; nine rallied from fourth or farther back. Presider, runner-up last out at a mile, will try to buck the trend and is listed at 8-5. The distance is perfect for El Rey Rey. A late-runner, El Rey Rey won a starter/optional-claiming turf race last out at 1 1/8 miles and was claimed for $50,000 by Hector Palma. The past five years, Palma is 9 for 32 first off the claim. El Rey Rey is listed at 7-2, with a closing style that matches the course profile. I’m a Bad Boy, the 2-1 favorite in race 5, adds Lasix after he was eased last out in a route stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds. The California-bred allowance turf mile he entered Friday is easier; first-time Lasix runners trained by Luis Mendez are 11 for 33 the past five years. However, I’m a Bad Boy is uncertain at the distance. He lost his punch both routes. Despite his runner-up finish in a route stakes two back, the best races by I’m a Bad Boy are sprints. Molly Jensen, a contender in race 7, earned a low 53 Beyer Speed Figure in a maiden-claiming turf sprint, the same condition as Friday. The figure does not tell the whole story. Molly Jensen had to wait for room on the turn, then finished well for second. The winner, Prime and Ready, won her next start. The low figure earned by Molly Jensen is misleading. The in-form filly ran well behind a good rival and is listed at 7-2 against also-eligible Lee’s Baby Girl and first-time starter Infinity Dream. Jubilant Joanie and Muscled are solid favorites in races 8 and 9, but two non-favorites are better bets Friday – El Rey Rey in race 3 and Molly Jensen in race 7. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.