Fornatale: Saratoga pick four play for Sunday, Aug. 23
Let's take a swing at the late pick four Sunday as we get ready for the excitement of Travers week up here in Saratoga.
Race 8
The sequence kicks off with the type of race Saratoga is known for – a maiden special weight sprint for 2-year-olds, this one going 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt for fillies. Bill Mott's TRUE PLEASURE (#3) ran well in her debut in a race in which the only one to come back to run so far, Catch a Glimpse, has won. She looks dangerous for Mott, whose program for 2-year-olds appears to have undergone a reboot at this meeting.
FIRST SALUTE (#8) also ran OK first out after hitting the gate and running with company on the front end. That race has produced two next-out winners, including Just Wicked, the Adirondack winner. I'll also use two well-bred firsters here in a secondary role, FELINI (#1) and WIDTH (#9). BLUSHING HUMOR (#7) is worth inclusion based on her precocious pedigree as well.
A: 3, 8
B: 1, 9
C: 7
Race 9
This is a first-level allowance going nine furlongs on grass. TEAM COLORS (#3) has a few reasons he might improve today: It's his second start stateside for a barn whose charges often improve with a start, and he adds blinkers while retaining Javier Castellano.
MACAGONE (#7) will try once again to take a field from gate to wire. He reunites with his win rider, Jose Lezcano, and perhaps can settle a bit more this time around.
A: 3, 7
B: none
C: none
Race 10
Does any horse have his sex incorrectly identified more than FAST ANNA (#1)? I suppose it was the original connections’ own fault for naming a male after a female. In any case, this speedster will be tough to handle if HE can find HIS old form. A. P. INDIAN (#3) has done his best work on the front end, and he'll probably have to rate a bit here, but there's nothing in his past performances that tells me he can't do that. He's simply too good and fast to ignore.
:: Build your pick four ticket with DRF TicketMaker
A: 1, 3
B: none
C: none
Race 11
The Sunday card closes out with a $40,000 maiden claimer for turf sprinters. Since we're pretty skinny in the pick four, let's try to get alive to several of these, while allowing TicketMaker to do the heavy lifting of weighting the combinations appropriately.
TINO (#5) is super logical on the drop, the only potential issues being the lack of gate speed, likely price, and fact that he's named after an ex-Yankee. PINE RIDGE FOREST (#8) must be included. Jeremiah Engelhart is having a strong meet and does well with this type of layoff.
SAID NO ONE EVER (#6) has one of my favorite names of any horse in training and is a sensible backup off a solid effort at the level last time. He has a bunch of droppers to deal with and has been boxcars both outs, so I'm not in a hurry to press at a short number though.
I'll use three droppers at the C level. WHO IS THE GIANT (#1) is worth another look given the equipment changes and the rider's decision to stick around. CONOR (#2) didn't break last time and could improve second out. He gets a weight break with apprentice Cancel up. SECRET SCHOLAR (#10) adds blinkers and turned in an improved work Aug. 20, presumably with the new equipment.
A: 5, 8
B: 6
C: 1, 2, 10
Follow the link to a $96 ticket, but feel free to halve it or make your own iteration if you're budget conscious.
:: See Pete Fornatale's pick four play in DRF TicketMaker and bet it with DRF Bets