Hammersly: Pick four play for Aqueduct on Saturday, April 25
Taking a stand in the Grade 3 Excelsior (race 8) in the pick four may give you a chance to spread in the other legs and find a price.
Race 6
PALM ISLAND (#5) whipped $50,000 foes on the inner track Feb. 12. David Jacobson, who’s been pushing all the right buttons this meet (10 for first 28, 36 percent), saw fit to claim him (32 percent off a claim), and while price devaluation is a little worrisome, it’s a move with which he’s had success. CAROLINIAN (#3) dueled in a stakes last month and paid the price. This is a much better level (he won for this price the race prior), and a bullet work here April 18 encourages. BLUE CHIPS ONLY (#6) has been knocking on the door and may be ready to break through. That’s what trainer David Smith is likely betting on as he claimed this guy for $16,000 that day. This 4-year-old gelding has versatility, too. BET THE POWER (#7) has speed but was in too tough here April 8 as he pressed the pace for $50,000 before fading to fifth. He drops a bunch but was a race he surely needed as it was his first start in nine months.
A’s) 3, 5
B’s) 6
C’s) 7
Race 7
POWERFUL INSTINCT (#12) did plenty of good work in 2013 and early 2014. Things didn’t go quite so well afterward, but he’s been freshened by Chad Brown, who of course is strong with such a move and has worked steadily. He may be poised to bounce back. BLUE PIGEON (#1) performed nicely on this circuit last year before a dud here Nov. 12. He did have excuses that day – he had a miserable post (No. 10) and then blew the start. He’s been given time since by Christophe Clement, who is strong off the bench. SANCTIFY (#7) showed talent last year before going off form. He’s been freshened by Bill Mott, who of course can get them ready off a bench with the best of them. In fact, he showed it with this very horse at Saratoga last summer when this guy came off a freshening to win.
A’s) 1, 12
B’s) 7
C’s) None
Race 8
WICKED STRONG (#7) ranks among the game’s elite. His foes here are nice, but they seem overmatched. He ran on well to be fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 7, not far at all behind top runners Honor Code and Private Zone. He faces no one close to that ability level here and run that should set him up well for a top try here. If you want to try to beat him and kill so many other tickets, you can use TURCO BRAVO (#8), who showed big talent in Chile in 2014 and is putting it all together here as he comes off a fine win in the Stymie over a number of these.
A’s) 7
B’s) 8
C’s) None
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Race 9
WITH EXPRESSION (#6) did some good work on turf last year in New York and earlier this year in Florida, which gives him a leg up on many of these. He also drops, and that can’t hurt. FROGMAN MEL (#8) has been freshened since a couple nice dirt outings on the inner (second in each). He’s given an encouraging price increase and is proven on turf. In fact, his lone victory came on grass. KILLER CROSSOVER (#10) soured in Florida this winter. He’s been freshened and returns to New York, so maybe that can get him back on track. He also comes back as a first-time gelding, and maybe that can snap him back to life. FACE THE RACE (#9) has been setting the pace sprinting. At this longer trip, he could be primed for a theft, and his lone win came on turf at this trip.
A’s) 6, 8
B’s) 10
C’s) 9
