How to bet Aqueduct's Friday Pick 4 - Feb. 24, 2012
Here's my race-by-race rundown of Friday's pick four at Aqueduct on Feb. 17, 2012. I'm building my wager with TicketMaker, found exclusively on DRF.com.
Race 6 ($38,000 claiming race)
KEEP ME INFORMED (#7) ships up from Florida and takes big drop in class after chasing Endorsement and San Pablo last two dirt starts. He’s been a bit of a disappointment so the drop seems well meant and he simply has several races that will just be too much for this field. Only backup will be RUFFINO (#4) who may not be up to the same level of years past, but was clearly second best last time to stakes-bound Lunar Victory.
Race 7 ($52,000 allowance race)
GAMBLING GERALDINE (#7) has burned her share of money since blowout debut victory back in 2010, but she received a trainer change to Bruce Levine last time and came through with an improved effort despite not getting a very good trip. If she runs that race back, she will be very hard to beat. MY GIRL GRACIE (#5) is the speed for strong connections and, as opposed to the others in here, is not fully exposed. Maiden win last time left something to be desired, but that was on a sloppy track she didn’t have to love and her runnerup effort two-back would make her tough.
Race 8 ($64,000 optional claimer)
Competitive field for third leg, but there is an awful lot of speed on paper if it stays intact. That makes it difficult to take the "stronger" halves of either of the two coupled entries - OVERCOMMUNICATION (#1) (speed-type off long layoff) and OPENING MOVE (#2) (wire-to-wire winner off a break last time, but that race didn’t have much early pace). I’ll go against them with DE PRICE (#5), who was wired by Crossbow last time, but finished well from off the pace two-back, and JAGUAR PAW (#6), turning back after racing wide on a strong inside track last time, after catching Yawanna Twist (returned to win Gr2 on Monday with 102 Beyer) off the layoff.
Race 9 ($29,000 maiden claiming race)
GRUNGE GIRL (#11) was caught three-wide contesting a pace that collapsed last time, and now is cut in half in claiming price and seems a logical favorite to use. One of the horses she dueled with last time, BLUSHING KARAKORUM (#4), also returns here making the same class drop, and her debut effort vs. MSW company was okay with some trouble. CARROT THIEF (#7) has been rallying late in all three starts to begin her career, and now gets a major rider switch. MOVIN TO UTOPIA (#1) flashed speed and stopped in her debut, despite racing on a strong rail, but her trainer is much more dangerous with second-time starters.
My wagers
With TicketMaker I'm able to put greater emphasis on my "A" selections while still having coverage with my "B" and "C" picks just in case. This allows me to maximize my budget for this pick four.
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