ARCADIA, Calif. – Plenty is changing in California and at Santa Anita, beyond the challenging distance front-runner Speed Boat Beach faces in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Tuesday, opening day of the winter meet. If he stays seven furlongs, Speed Boat Beach can wire a field that includes graded winners Fort Bragg, Raise Cain, and Damon’s Mound. But the Malibu distance is a big ask for Speed Boat Beach, a top horse who is an opening-day metaphor for California racing’s uncertain future. The pending closure of Golden Gate Fields in 2024 could make Southern California the state’s only year-round circuit. Northern California horsemen are looking south and elsewhere for options. “Some of the bigger outfits are kind of waiting it out,” Santa Anita racing secretary Jason Egan said. “Whether we get more outfits from Golden Gate as winter progresses toward spring may depend on what happens with CARF [California Authority of Racing Fairs] and the plan they are able to present for a possible future in the North.” For now, Egan will fill races with approximately 2,200 horses in Southern California. The Santa Anita program has undergone minor revisions such as adding nonwinners-of-three claiming sprints for $12,500 to complement the N3L $20,000 claiming sprints. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports The 3-year-old stakes program also changed. The Grade 3 Sham, in January at one mile, was canceled. The first 3-year-old stakes is the Grade 2 San Vicente at seven furlongs on Jan. 6. The Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis on Feb. 3 was shortened from 1 1/16 miles to one mile. Those races lead to the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 2 and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6. Another change is a synthetic surface to replace dirt on the training track. When the project is completed in January, training can continue even in rain. The main track was closed entirely Dec. 20-22, and opened only for joggers Dec. 23, due to rain and surface condition. The closure could affect Malibu entrants Giant Mischief, Damon’s Mound, and Raise Cain. They arrived Monday after a van ride of more than 30 hours from the Midwest. A weekend jog would be their first ontrack exercise in a week. Santa Anita has changed and improved its betting menu. It restored the traditional $1 pick six and added a $3 all-turf pick three in autumn. For opening day of winter, the track raised the minimum bet for rolling pick threes and trifectas from 50 cents to $1. Tuesday’s opening-day card is loaded. First post is early at 11 a.m., the program includes six stakes. Easter stands out in the Grade 2 San Gabriel on turf, race 3. Anisette and lone speed Musical Mischief top the Grade 1 American Oaks on turf, race 5. Subsanador, a Group 1 winner in Argentina, makes his U.S. debut as the likely favorite in the Grade 2 San Antonio, race 6. The Grade 2 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on turf is race 9; the Grade 1 La Brea for 3-year-old sprint fillies is race 10. But the top race on opening day of the winter meet is always the Malibu, which goes as race 8 and attracted a solid field. Bob Baffert trains three of the eight entrants, including Speed Boat Beach and Fort Bragg, along with Hejazi. The three shippers are legit – Raise Cain, Damon’s Mound, and Giant Mischief. Outsiders include last-out maiden winner Matanzas Creek and first-time dirt Sharp Aza Track. Speed Boat Beach is the most likely winner based on a pair of 103-Beyer autumn starts. He missed by a head in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, and last out finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Speed Boat Beach will be ridden by Flavien Prat. Malibu favorites are 7 for 13 since the race returned to dirt following the synthetic era. Fort Bragg won the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont Park, finished third behind Dr. Schivel and Speed Boat Beach in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, and recently won a four-horse allowance at Del Mar. Irad Oritz Jr. rides Fort Bragg, who could be positioned second behind the pacesetter. Ben Colebrook trains Grade 3 Gotham winner Raise Cain, who won the Perryville Stakes at Keeneland last out with a 97 Beyer while defeating good California shipper Dr. Venkman by a head. Dr. Venkman was given a break afterward and will return later in the Santa Anita meet. Colebrook initially planned to give Raise Cain a break. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “We tried to let him down, thought about turning him out, and he just didn’t” want that, Colebrook said. “He likes the routine of training, so we started training him again, he was so high energy, feeling so good, his weight was so good.” On to the Malibu. Frankie Dettori, who will ride regularly at Santa Anita again this winter, rides late-runner Raise Cain. Junior Alvarado, in for the day, rides Damon’s Mound for trainer Michelle Lovell. A Grade 2 winner as a 2-year-old, Damon’s Mound returned to form this summer with back-to-back stakes wins at Charles Town and Parx Racing, followed by a runner-up finish in a stakes race at Mahoning Valley. The Malibu was always the plan for the pace-presser. “We’ve gone about these races to get to the Malibu for a quite a while,” Lovelle said, adding that Damon’s Mound shipped fine. “It was a long trip, he made the trip fine, and was ready to get off the van. He’s an exciting horse, and we’re excited to run.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.