The Christmas Weekend featured an opening day at Santa Anita racetrack in a card that was loaded with talent and six graded stakes races. However, news broke that morning that all of the turf races were to be taken off the turf and run on dirt, which obviously threw a big wrench into several of the stakes turf races. I spend the first few minutes of the podcast discussing how you should adjust your wagers and picks when turf races are taken off the grass and how it impacted the card. Then we dive into the slews of stakes races on the card starting with the Grade II San Gabriel Stakes, which was the race most impacted by scratches, that ended up being a four-horse field. Front-runner Bob and Jackie proved that early speed is the best and was able to hold off a hard-charging Friar's Road, who has come up just short for the third consecutive race. There are some built-in excuses for Friar's Road coming up short this time but it's a worrisome trend and one worth monitoring as he progresses. Tune in to today's episode for even more news.

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About The Win Place Show: The best horse racing picks, analysis, handicapping, bets, and interviews with Matthew. If you love horse racing, you'll love The Win Place Show. Matthew handicaps the latest horse races every week and even gives updates on what he got right and what he got wrong. Plus, interviews with horseracing veterans discussing their picks, their industry knowledge, and more.