How to bet Saturday's Aqueduct $250,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4
Here's my race-by-race rundown of Saturday's Guaranteed $250K Pick 4 at Aqueduct. I'm building my wager with TicketMaker, found exclusively on DRF.com.
Race 6: Maiden Special Weight ($40,000)
DISCREET CODE made an auspicious debut on the main track here Nov. 5. He blew the start to get away poorly but found his stride and finished strongly for 3rd. Yes, he was no threat (beaten 5 lengths) but that was a most encouraging first run and any move forward makes him scary. SHERIDAN SQUARE finished just a head behind CODE in that Nov. 5 race so it follows that if one is a threat here the other must be as well. Like the top pick that was his debut and he ran on decently. FRENCH WINE has tried NY-bred stakes in his 3 career starts and flashed talent in 2 of them. The class drop may be key.
Race 7: Maiden Special Weight ($41,000)
WINDAFULL has been knocking on the door and looks primed to break through and get his diploma. He surely handles the sod and this trip well, and his near-miss 2nd on Nov. 20 came on this course. LEMON PEEL, a son of Lemon Drop Kid, was just a neck behind WINDAFULL on Nov. 20 and showed good speed in just his 2nd career turf try, staying on strongly at 45-1. SAM’S BUCK did nothing in his first 2 starts, but trainer George Weaver added blinkers for his Nov. 20 outing and the gelding improved considerably, finishing 4th not far behind the top 2 picks.
Race 8: Allowance Optional Claiming ($25,000)
GOOD KARMA comes here in sharp form with 3 wins and 2 3rds in his last 5 starts. The 5yo has won twice over this track and finished strongly to be 3rd on the main track here Nov. 24. He should get his kind of hot, contested pace here, too. BIGGER IS BETTOR chased the classy Ron the Greek in a strong race on the main track Nov. 17. While he was no match for that rival while finishing 2nd, he ended up 5 lengths clear of the others and like the top pick may like the race-shape. THE NOZ comes here better than ever off 2 romping wins.
Race 9: Maiden Claiming ($20,000)
SPECIAL ACTION may be turning the corner. He ran well in a grass sprint to be 3rd at this level at BEL Oct. 9 but then ran superbly to be 2nd, beaten just a nose when getting blinkers in a race like this here Nov. 10. SHOUTOUT was a respectable 4th vs. much more expensive ($50K). That was his first start in 2 months; so with that under his belt and the drop he can be a player. GOLDEN TORNADO comes off 2 fine rallying 2nds, one on the sod at SAR Aug. 11 and then after 3 months off in the slop here Nov. 16. He figures to be coming. BUNDESTAG takes the most significant drop in the game (straight maiden to maiden claiming), and maybe that can get him on track.
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 4.
