Beer: Gulfstream pick four for Saturday, Feb. 20

Saturday's late pick four at Gulfstream Park is a challenging, all-turf sequence with a combined 44 entrants, not counting also-eligibles.

Race 9
There are several interesting first-time starters in this one-mile maiden special weight affair, which has drawn an overflow field of 15 (only 12 can start). There is strength on the AE list, with both Taste for Talent (#13) and Hockey School (#14) becoming major players should they manage to draw in, so make sure you pay attention to scratches. As things stand pre-changes, I want to concentrate on a pair of experienced runners and one of the firsters on my main ticket. Stockyard (#5) raced greenly on debut for Todd Pletcher before finishing with some interest and appears to be the type to improve with experience. Commend (#11) switches immediately to turf for his second start for trainer Bill Mott and does so with plenty of pedigree. They are A's on my ticket, along with first-time starter Immunity (#4), who shows up with a nice series of works for trainer Mike Trombetta, who has won with 4 of the last 17 he has debuted in turf routes, with those winners going off at odds of 20-1, 12-1, 9-1, and 5-1. First-time starters Turf Commander (#7, Chad Brown) and Travis County (#8, Kiaran McLaughlin) are backups.

Race 10
This one-mile turf race for older $16,000 claimers likely will be run at a quick early pace. That might work against the in-form Live in Joy (#1), who has won 5 of his 7 starts since being claimed by his high-percentage trainer, though he has proven effective from a pace-tracking position and must be used. I'll avoid Lay It Down, a sure contender but one who has some "hang" in him, and instead use Starship Zorro (#5) and Depeche Chat (#6) as the other A's. For a backup at a big price, I want to use Lawyer Jim (#7). It has been a long time since he last posted a win, but he has races that make him competitive here, he will benefit if the pace does indeed get heated, and he showed a different dimension in his most recent start, dueling throughout in a race that ultimately went to closers.

Race 11
The five-furlong, $75,000 Melody of Colors has drawn a field of eight 3-year-old fillies, five of whom have never run on turf. Cash Back (#3) has no questions to answer regarding surface, entering 2 for 2, with both wins coming in convincing fashion sprinting on turf at Fair Grounds. I also want to use Hi Holiday (#1). A stakes winner at 2, she exits a game try over synthetic at the Ocala Training Center and has some turf in her pedigree, being from a dam who, while never winning on turf, ran well over it more than once and is a half-sister to Magnificent Val, a multiple stakes winner on grass.

Race 12
Sevens (#13) has endured a pair of tough trips at this meet and is a horse I want to use should he get in. In the main body, I'm focusing on Add Four (#6), who never got a chance to run when jammed up in traffic in his turf debut, though that was a race that collapsed in the stretch; the logical Little Scotty (#8); and Derby Champagne (#12), who has not had a fair chance in two starts down here and has turf in his pedigree.

:: See Mike Beer's pick four ticket in DRF TicketMaker and play it in DRF Bets.