King: Claiming sprint place to spread in pick five

There are richer, more prestigious races across the country than those at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday night. There just aren’t a whole lot of better wagering options than those at that track.

The reason? A 12 percent takeout on pick threes, pick fours, and the pick five there – and with seemingly a “free square” in race 8 on the card, where the unbeaten Promise Me Silver faces Texas-bred stakes opposition in the Two Altazano.

Here is a look at the final five races on the card and a suggested pick five play. From this sequence, a trio of pick threes can also be played using the same combinations, as well as a pick four that begins on the seventh race.

Jim’s Orbit (race 6): A seven-furlong stakes for Texas-bred 3-year-olds, this race seems most likely to be won by Supermason (2), whose one-turn form is excellent and whose last two sprints resulted in Beyer Speed Figures in the 80s. Those figures give him a significant edge over the competition.

Using the “ABC” method of ranking horses in DRF’s TicketMaker program, he goes down as the lone “A,” or high-percentage play, in the race.

Graded stakes-placed stablemate Silverhill (4) is a “B,” along with Flying Frenchman (5), who rallied to be second in an allowance Jan. 16 after a poor start.

$15,000 conditioned claimer (race 7): This race, a five-furlong dash for relatively cheap runners, seems the most competitive on the card. So, the advice is to go deepest in this leg.

Will It Thunder (8), second against a comparable field Jan. 26, looks tough based on recent form and is an “A” horse, but in a race like this one, it is hard to trust a single horse.

Three “B” horses back him up: Compensation (1), Mamawasapistol (9), and Battered (10). They lack the speed of Will It Thunder – a key going five furlongs – but all have reasonably solid turf form.

Two Altazano (race 8): Promise Me Silver (2) is 5 for 5 and has defeated three open stakes fields, both on the lead and from off the pace. Now she’s matched against Texas-breds, she lays over this group, and is the only horse to use, an “A.”

Jersey Village (race 9): A 1 1/16-mile turf race for Texas-breds, this race drew largely the same group that raced in the Richard King Stakes on Jan. 17.

On the basis of his overall consistency, the “A” play in the race is Magna Breeze (4), who also should appreciate being cut back in distance from 1 1/8 miles after he faded to third in the Richard King.

He has little margin for error, however, based on tight finishes with these in two matchups with Texas-breds. So, let’s use two others as “B” plays: Fly the Red Eye (5) and Quiet Acceleration (8).

If the name Quiet Acceleration seems familiar to you, it’s no wonder. He is the horse who finished first in the Richard King with Roman Chapa aboard.

It was the photo of Quiet Acceleration taken by the track photographer that appeared to show Chapa holding a device in his left hand, though as is typical of track photographers’ shots, the photo was not generated until the race was long since declared official for betting purposes.

Chapa was later suspended by the Texas Racing Commission and ultimately charged with a felony for his alleged impropriety.

I imagine some will expect regression from Quiet Acceleration on Saturday, based on a perceived “change in equipment,” but I will still use him as a backup play. He won this race last year with Gerardo Mora up – the rider replacing Chapa on Saturday.

$32,000 maiden claiming (race 10): Sing It Up (2) is a clear-cut choice and “A” runner, holding an advantage in form and speed figures, though when dealing with maiden claimers, particularly the Texas-bred variety going a route, it is difficult to feel confident playing him alone.

Early Esoteric (3) and Big Mesa (4) are his biggest threats, with both having run reasonably well going two turns at the Sam Houston meet.

Pick five play: With Sam Houston offering a 50-cent minimum for its pick five, this race can be played inexpensively. Plugging the horses outlined above into TicketMaker based on a 50-cent minimum and a $26 budget results in a $25.50 play. All “A’s” are played on a $1.50 ticket; combinations of four “A’s” and one “B” are played for a buck each; and four “A’s” and two “B’s” are played in 50-cent combinations.

As noted earlier, these same combinations of “A’s” and “B’s” are further recommended for plays in pick threes and the late pick four.