Bernier: Los Alamitos pick three play for Sunday, Dec. 21

Sunday is closing day at Los Alamitos, and I'll look to tackle the late pick three.

Race 7

The seventh race is full of first-time starters, but I think the race begins and ends with one of the experienced runners, POCKETBALL (6). Pocketball is a second-time starter for trainer Adam Kitchingman, who showed solid early speed in his debut at Del Mar last month and projects to flash similar early foot in this race today. With a race under his belt, I see no reason this son of Jazil can't successfully negotiate the stretch out from 5 1/2 furlongs to 6 furlongs here today. I'm singling Pocketball in the seventh.

Pick: 6

:: Build your pick three ticket with DRF TicketMaker

Race 8

The eighth race appears to be an open affair on paper, but I think there are three horses that should figure prominently throughout. RENO REBEL (1) gave a strong account of himself in his latest start on dirt, a six-furlong stakes event at Stockton in September. This Art Sherman trainee drops in class significantly and will get back to his best surface today. It's also worth noting the presence of Rafael Bejarano here. CELEBRITY STATUS (3) is another who gets major class relief here today, and it's hard to ignore the fact that he earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure in his latest dirt start at Santa Anita. It could be as simple as CONSCIENCE (4) preferring synthetic to dirt, but it's hard to tell at this point with such a lightly raced horse. I feel like this Tom Proctor trainee could be any kind at this point, and he's a must-use on all tickets.

Picks: 1, 3, 4

Race 9

It's going to be very difficult to beat FLYIN FOR A LIVIN (11) in the finale. Not only does this runner tower over the field from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, but she's also taking a major drop in class for trainer Michael Pender. If she can't graduate against this group here, it's hard to envision a scenario in which she will. In case Flyin for a Livin doesn't fire in this spot, I'll include a horse who is sure to be a big price, that being first-time starter R LIL HARTBREAKER (9). There isn't a ton to love about a 6-year-old making her first career start, but the rest of the field is suspect at best, and if she has any talent at all, she could get the job done at boxcar prices.

Picks: 9, 11