King: Gulfstream late pick four play for Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019

Beginning with a single, the promising Feedback in the Forward Gal, here are my handicapping thoughts and a small budget ticket for the late Pick 4 sequence at Gulfstream on Saturday.

Race 9: The Forward Gal

Feedback (4) won like a special filly in her debut last summer at Saratoga, and though sidelined since that Aug. 12 unveiling, seems ready for the kickoff to her 3-year-old season. She has impressed the Daily Racing Form clocking team with her smooth workouts in recent weeks, and few in here seem to have her raw talent. She is the lone play in the first leg.

Race 10: The Swale

Competition runs deeper in the Swale, which like the Forward Gal, is a sprint at seven furlongs. It seems to have drawn a high level of speed, which could result in regression from the need-the-lead types.

Call Paul (5) is seasoned and his proven ability to win from a pressing position results in him being the top selection, but any advantage he possesses is thin. So spreading seems a sound practice, and I’ll add two other in-form types that seem a bit tactical, Zenden (9) and Seismic Jolt (8).

Topper T (3) is the fourth and final horse I deem that merits use, a 15-1 longshot who faltered in a pair of graded stake routes last fall, but whose sprint form in 2018 was encouraging.

Race 11: The Holy Bull

Mihos (6), likely two or three times the price of Maximus Mischief (8), holds the most wagering appear in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull, though Maximus Mischief is the most likely winner. A winner of two straight, Mihos gives the appearance of horse that should handle two turns, while Maximus Mischief is already proven in that regard, having won the 1 1/8-mile Remsen in his final race as a 2-year-old. Barring scratches of opposing speed horses, the latter could be occupied up front, however.

I will use both, while hoping Mihos can prevail with the higher return.

Race 12: Maiden Special Weight

Those with racing experience have not distinguished themselves, setting this race up for a first-time starter. I will try four such types in the Pick 4. They are Honest Mischief (1), a Juddmonte homebred who has been training quickly; Soldado (7), an inexpensive sale buy – especially for a horse trained by Todd Pletcher – but a colt who has been breezing swiftly; Uncle Jamo (5), in contrast an expensive $560,000 purchase; and Beau Luminarie (8), who has worked a couple of bullets and a few near bullets at Payson Park.

The Ticket

A numerical-order 50-cent Pick 4 using the horses noted above – 4 with 3,5,8,9 with 6,8 with 1,5,7,8 – costs $16.