Ridden by Alex Solis, Alphie’s Bet ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:48.72 on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface.

Setsuko was second as the 5-2 wagering favorite and The Program, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, was another head back in third in the field of 10 colts.

Alphie’s Bet is nominated to the Triple Crown races, but he needs to increase his graded stakes earnings in the coming weeks to have a shot at making the Kentucky Derby field, capped at 20 starters. The Sham victory, worth $90,000, increased his career earnings to $141,320.

Alphie’s Bet paid $19, $8.40 and $4.80 at 8-1 odds. Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Setsuko returned $4.40 and $3.20, while The Program paid $4 to show.

Watch the replay.

Blind Luck, who was nominated to the Triple Crown, made her fans sweat in her most recent start, closing from last to win the Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) by a nose in the final stride of her season debut on February 13 (video).

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Blind Luck won the Oak Leaf Stakes (G1) in October before a third-place finish in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on November 6 at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park meeting. She closed her two year-old season with a dominant seven-length win in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) on December 20 at Hollywood Park.

Owners Mark DeDomenico, John Carver, and Hollendorfer purchased Blind Luck privately after she won her career debut by 13 1/4 lengths in June at Calder Race Course. Since the purchase, she has rewarded her current connections with four wins, one second, and one third in six starts.

Other entrants include Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) winner Crisp, Grade 3-placed winner All Due Respect, and impressive debut winner Sister Dawn.

March 06, $250,000, 3yo, f, 1 1/16M, Santa Anita Park, 3:38 PM PT

Battaglia installed “all others” – a betting interest that includes all 3-year-old fillies other than the 23 individual betting interests in the Oaks Future pool – as the narrow 4-1 choice in the 2010 pool. Blind Luck, expected to be a heavy favorite to score her fourth Grade I win in Saturday’s Santa Anita Oaks (GI), is close behind as the 5-1 second choice and the favored individual filly, while Amen Hallelujah, an impressive winner of last week’s Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream, is next at 6-1.

The three-day pool that opens at noon (all times EST) Friday, March 5 provides the only opportunity for racing fans to place an early wager on 3-year-old fillies that are contenders for the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I), America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies. The 1 1/8-mile race is scheduled for Friday, April 30 – the eve of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI). Wagering in the pool will conclude Sunday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m.

The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool runs concurrently with Pool 2 of the 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which also opens at noon Friday. The Derby pool will close on Sunday at 6 p.m., 30 minutes prior to the end of Oaks pool betting.

The Oaks Future bet provides fans with an opportunity to wager on contenders for the Kentucky Oaks weeks in advance of the race at odds that could be more attractive than those they would receive on the day of the race. The Kentucky Oaks Future bet is a $2 minimum “win” wager. There are no scratches and no refunds in the Oaks Future Bet. If Churchill Downs officials determine that injury or illness will prevent one of the individual fillies in the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool from participating in the race, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Eventual Preakness (GI) winner and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra won last year’s Kentucky Oaks by a record margin of 20 ¼ lengths, but she was not the favorite in the 2009 Oaks Future Bet. The bettor’s choice in the pool was Justwhistledixie, who closed as the 5-2 favorite over Rachel Alexandra (3-1) and Stardom Bound (9-2).

Christine Daae, an impressive allowance winner last week at Gulfstream Park, is listed 8-1. Other respected members of this year’s KOFW pool include 2009 2-year-old filly champion and Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner She Be Wild; Evening Jewel, a close runner-up to Blind Luck in the Las Virgenes (GI) at Santa Anita; and Switch, a close third in the Las Virgenes. Each of those fillies is listed at 12-1.

Track officials said Saturday that heavy overnight and early morning rain was expected to continue throughout the day, causing drainage problems with the synthetic track. However, they are scheduled to rain today.

The Sham will be run March 6, with the field redrawn for the 1 1/16-mile race that is a major prep for the Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

“Hope” is the key word in $150,000 Sham Stakes as only one of the 10-year-olds entered in the 1 1/8-mile race over the synthetic Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita has stakes experience. Two colts from the barns of Hall of Fame trainers loom as the likely favorites and they could emerge as fresh-faced contenders on the road to Churchill Downs and the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) on Saturday, May 1.

One is The Program, who is coming off a narrow victory over stablemate Indian Firewater in a Santa Anita allowance race and will be ridden by Martin Garcia. The latter returned to run second in last week’s Turf Paradise Derby. Owned by Thoroughbred Legends Stable, The Program ran fourth to another Baffert-trained stablemate, champion 2-year-old Lookin At Lucky, in Hollywood Park’s CashCall Futurity (GI).

Another likely to draw attention is Setsuko, a son of Pleasantly Perfect trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. Setsuko has run five straight races at two-turn distances and Rafael Bejarano will be in the saddle.

Other contenders include Darley’s Kettle River, who brings a two-race winning streak into the Sham for trainer Eoin Harty; Nextdoorneighbor, a Mike Machowsky-trained son of Lido Palace who scored an impressive maiden victory at 1 1/16 miles last out; and trainer Ken McPeek’s Outlaw Man, a winner on grass in his last start.

Post Positions (Post Time: 4:07, 8th Race)

Eskendereya, who figures to move way up in the Kentucky Derby rankings, has now won three of five races with one second. He more than doubled his career earnings to $275,700 with the winning purse of $150,000.

Sent off as the third choice, Eskendereya paid $9.80, $4.20 and $3 while topping a $35.20 exacta. Jackson Bend, second in the Holy Bull (gr. III) at Gulfstream to begin his season Jan. 23 for trainer Nick Zito, returned $3.60 and $2.10. Aikenite, also from the Pletcher stable, was $3.60 to show.

Breaking from post 7 under Edgar Prado, D Funnybone rated well in the early going, racing in third while Wildcat Frankie set the pace and Hear Ye Hear Ye tracked in second. The opening splits were :22.37 and :45.10.