With 2 Million 1/ST Rewards Points available in Sunday’s Hit & Split promo for Keeneland, 1/ST BET and Xpressbet players have extra incentive for today’s late pick four. Here's my approach.
Race 6
Turf route maiden special weight races like this historically are magnets for decent prices, including a 14-1 winner Saturday in a similar spot. Big emphasis to the Gulfstream Park alumni in these races, so the lean goes to #10 Executive and #2 Thirteen Colonies off GP preps. Mix in #3 Lebowski and #12 Brushfire in a competitive race.
Race 7
Impel is a short-priced favorite at 9-5 on the morning line and certainly appreciate her 3-year-old campaign that saw her third in the Grade 1 Ashland locally. But she’s never faced older rivals and could find a difficult trip in a big field from the rail when she’s primarily routed. I’ll try to beat her. #10 Easy Red gets a red-hot Luis Saez (5 wins between Friday-Saturday) and has been rock-solid against elder allowance runners this winter at Fair Grounds. She’s by strong Keeneland dirt sire Omaha Beach, so 10-1 morning line is highly attractive. #5 Into Champagne has plenty of class and got a good run into her in the Hurricane Bertie for this second-off-the-layoff bid.
Race 8 | Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway Stakes
#4 Future Is Now is a deserving 9-5 morning line favorite and superior turf sprint mare. She’s drawn beautifully and won the Fall Meet’s equivalent race, the Franklin Stakes, over this course. The only concern is that all 14 races of her career came in the same form cycle, she’s never had a layoff. But she won her debut off of strictly training and this stakes has been won by fillies/mares making their seasonal return efforts each of the last 3 years. Chief rival #7 Pandora’s Gift comes off the same break and gets both a trainer and rider upgrade in her bid to turn the tables. Still prefer Future Is Now.
Race 9
#10 Storm the Streets can cap a big week for trainer Ian Wilkes and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. That duo teamed to win Tuesday’s Grade 1 Blue Grass with Burnham Square, while Hernandez added Saturday’s Grade 1 Apple Blossom on the road at Oaklawn with the Kenny McPeek-trained Thorpedo Anna. First-timers #4 Bourbon Street Boy and #12 Parade of Fears merit consideration, while #8 Big Salt Lick ran decently over this track in the Fall vs. tougher and fits. I’ll stand against the morning line favorite #2 Romantic Lead for a Jimmy Toner barn not noted for layoff types like this and on a massive class drop.
The Ticket
10,2,3,12 with 10,5 with 4 with 10,4,12,8 = $16 for 50 cents
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