December 29 - On This Date in Racing

1945 – Saturday – Santa Anita opens for first regular winter meeting in 5 years – Honeymoon with Johnny Longden up wins the Breeders’ Champion Stakes before a crowd of 45,212.

The Daily Racing Form used to carry a chart that showed all the biggest horses in the country and where they would be racing next based on the latest information available. They still do this for their Derby Trail reporting but do not provide similar information for other divisions of runners. Racing needs stars that fans can follow throughout the season so the Spirit will provide a list of some of the biggest current names in racing:

Commentator - Hal's Hope - Gulfstream - Jan 8
Ghostzapper - Metropolitan - Belmont - May 30
Kirkendahl - San Rafael - Santa Anita - Jan 15
Lost in Fog -Sunshine Millions Dash - Gulfstream - Jan 29
Rock Hard Ten - Strub Stakes - Santa Anita - Feb 5
Roses in May - Donn Handicap - Gulfstream - Feb 5
Second of June - Sunshine Millions Classic - Gulfsteam - Jan 29
Spanish Chestnut - San Rafeael - Santa Anita - Jan 15.
Sweet Catomine - Santa Ysabel - Santa Anita - Jan 9
Uncle Denny - Sham Stakes - Santa Anita - Feb 5
Yearly Report - Sunshine Millions Distaff - Santa Anita - Jan 29

Big day in California today with 233k carryover at Golden Gate and opening day of the Santa Anita meeting - the 70th anniversary of the track which opened on Christmas Day, 1934. The Grade I Malibu has a full field of 12 and features Grade II winners Quintons Gold Rush, Rock Hard Ten, and Love of Money. There is no racing in New York today.

Fusaichi Samurai - the $4 million dollar 2 year old - won his debut race at Hollywood Park effortlessly. Victor Espinoza - also the rider of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and sire of the colt - praised the winner in an "effusive" manner according to the LA Times.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-horse12dec12,1,3553817.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

I don't believe you could find a Derby Future Book with him not being one of the top favorites and his best price would not be above 10-1.