Maryland racing analyst Gabby Gaudet has thoughts on a Pick 4 on this afternoon’s card at Pimlico!
PICK FOUR
Pimlico has a 50-cent Pick Four beginning with race 6 Post time for the sixth is 3:30 p.m.
MJC analyst Gabby Gaudet will share her longshot and exotic plays with The Racing Biz each Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Maryland Jockey Club.
Gabby’s Selections
- Race 6 – 1, 2, 3, 6
- Race 7 – 3
- Race 8 – 1, 4
- Race 9 – 1, 3, 8, 11
- Wager cost: $16 ($0.50 unit)
Gabby says….
“The first leg of the Pick Four is a 1 1/16 mile maiden special weight for three year-old fillies, and I have four of them. I know that trainer Ben Perkins is high on #1 All Dun. I thought she ran OK in her debut, and with just one start, she should be improving. I also think the stretch out to two turns is going to help her here. #2 Southern Equity is the only one here with experience around two turns, which should help her. I also think that last race, with Moonstone Magic, was a pretty tough heat, making that effort better than it looks. I thought #3 Willing to Go ran a super race last time out. I know the Beyer came back a little light, but I thought she looked really good, and she gets 10 pounds off here, which should help. There was nothing wrong with the debut of #6 Nine Tales. She made all the early running in that race and then held on very gamely in the lane. I think it’s hard for horses to hold on to the second wire in that long Laurel stretch, and she almost managed to do it.
“I’m singling #3 Ben’s Cat in the Mister Diz. He’s won this race four times already, he’s far classier than any of his rivals, and trainer King Leatherbury has repeatedly shown he can get Ben to fire first off the layoff.
“The eighth, the Twixt Stakes, looks like a two-horse race to me between #1 Charlie Renee and #4 Steady N Love. Steady N Love has won two straight, crushing an allowance filed by 20 and most recently winning the Caesar’s Wish. Trainer Gary Capuano thinks she’ll like going two turns — she has so far — and she’s the only stake winner in the field. She should be tough; the only question is whether even-money, which is her morning line odds, represents fair value. Her main rival is Charlie Renee. She has some class to her, and I think the farther she goes, the better she’ll be. She looked great winning her last at a mile, and though I don’t love her being in the one-hole, I don’t think it will be a big problem here. The main speed — #2 Inspired Say Eye and #3 Turf Craze — is immediately to her outside, and if they clear off in this short field, she won’t have any problem getting a good stalking position.
“I went four deep in the last leg, the Dahlia. It’s an intriguing race with some potential value. I really like #1 Joy since trainer Graham Motion put her on the turf. And I think that third place finish up at Saratoga is better than it looks; the top two from that race are both really nice horses that have run well in graded company. I think #3 Embarr is kind of sneaky good. She won this race off a layoff a year ago, and then I think she might have been in too deep, in graded company, most of the rest of the year. Trainer Susan Cooney may be finding the right company at the right time. I thought that #8 Divine Luck looked like she was really trying hard in her last couple of races, and though she didn’t quite get there, those were good efforts. The winners of both of those races — Antonia Autumn and Theatre Star — won their next out against second-level allowance company, so I don’t think this is as big a step as it looks. I think there might be some pace in front of her, and I really like her at 10-1. Trainer Hamilton Smith is really high on #11 Perique, and that horse has run two really good races in a row. She’s improving, and she’s versatile enough to work out a good trip. The big question for her is: can she turf?
“Good luck!”
(Featured image, of Ben’s Cat, by Laurie Asseo.)
