King: Del Mar pick three play for Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018

My play of the day Sunday at Del Mar comes in the ninth race, though perhaps the best money-making opportunity involving that race begins an hour or so earlier.

Expecting the horse I like in the ninth, Policy (5), to drop from his 7-2 morning line, my feeling is to get involved in the race in multi-race gimmicks that lead up to the ninth. In that way, I hope he will not be bet to the same extent as he eventually could be in the win pool – as bettors will often “follow the money” when comes to backing first-timers.

Utilizing the multi-race strategy comes with disadvantages – missing in the earlier legs and the inability to see how Policy is behaving in the paddock and post parade on the way to his unveiling. However, in the interest of value, this is the strategy with Policy, a $250,000 2-year-old purchase with promising workouts over the Del Mar strip.

So, here goes...a pick three beginning on the seventh race and ending with the ninth.

Seventh Race:

$3 Pick 3: Desired Edge (1) with Catapult (1), Sharp Samurai (4), Bowies Hero (6), Om (10), Big Score (11) with Policy (5)

$1 Pick 3: Paprika (5), Coco Kisses (8) with Catapult (1), Sharp Samurai (4), Bowies Hero (6), Om (10), Big Score (11) with Policy (5)

Cost for the two tickets is $25.