King: Gulfstream Park late pick four for Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018

Well-matched stakes action adds appeal to the late pick four at Gulfstream on Saturday, a wager that begins with race 8, the Tropical Park Oaks, and concludes with the 11th and final, the Tropical Park Derby. Here is a budget ticket for the sequence:

Race 8

Florida Oaks winner Andina Del Sur (7) is the value on the morning line at 8-1 among the leading contenders in the Tropical Park Oaks. Having kept better company throughout the year, she should appreciate facing an ungraded lineup and figures to work out a solid stalking trip under Luis Saez.

I will use just one other: the inside-drawn Too Cool to Dance (1). Although still eligible for a first-level allowance and out of action since the summer, she warrants respect as a Chad Brown trainee with good numbers and with the potential to save ground in a large field.

Race 9

The Via Borghese for older mares is up next, where my choices, in order of preference, are Tricky Escape (4), Holy Helena (3), and Peru (5). All three seem well used in the pick four, with Tricky Escape and Peru likely going off at the best prices of the group.

Race 10

Marathon turf races are a specialty for trainer Mike Maker, who has Soglio (3) for the Allen Jerkens, a rare two-mile contest. That horse rates on top, followed by Nessy (11), another proven stayer, and 12-1 outsider Galope Americano (1), whose form is suspect but who should appreciate added distance, having won a couple 1 1/2-mile races in Brazil.

Race 11

Two horses go on this budget ticket for the final leg: Breaking the Rules (4) and Therapist (11). The former looks like a stakes horse in the making, having elevated his game with a couple of sharp allowance tries on turf in New York, while the latter brings established class, along with past success over the Gulfstream Park lawn.

The tickets

A 50-cent pick four – 1,7 with 3,4,5 with 1,3,11 with 4,11 – costs $18.

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