King: Gulfstream Park pick five for Saturday, Jan. 6

Here’s my handicapping analysis and wagering strategy for the late pick five Saturday at Gulfstream – a potentially high-reward 50-cent wager with a 15 percent takeout.

Race 7

Up first is the Kitten’s Joy, a 7 1/2-furlong turf stakes for 3-year-olds in which Fast Boat (#5) and Flamaway (#1) are the most likely winners and therefore “A” plays in DRF’s TicketMaker program. The former won his maiden nicely over this course, hinting of stakes promise, while the latter is battle tested in more imposing stakes than this one.

Backing them up as a secondary “B” play is Power Of Attorney (#3), who won by two lengths over a next-out winner in his maiden victory at Aqueduct on Nov. 30.

Race 8

Maidens sprinting seven furlongs follow the stakes action, and this race goes thru Orbed (#10), who ran promisingly when fourth in his lone start at Aqueduct. He is the lone ‘A’ runner in the race. Three “B” runners back him up – Lifes a Parlay (#6), Cove Blue (#5), and Apostle (#12). Lifes a Parlay and Apostle are pricey first-timers who seem to have ability, while Cove Blue has valuable experience.

Race 9

Thewayiam (#5) gets a pass for going unplaced in her latest when shipped to Del Mar and racing in a graded stakes from an outside post. Look past that race, and she looked good in winning her U.S. debut in Kentucky in October. She’s an “A.” Secondary “B” runners include Andina Del Sur (#8) and Malibu Saint (#6). The former won at first asking in eye-catching fashion, while the latter just won a stakes after a runner-up finish to Thewayiam at Keeneland.

Race 10

Debut winner Mask (#6) and two-time stakes winner Bal Harbour (#4) are preferred in the Mucho Macho Man and therefore are “A” runners, having run faster than Dak Attack (#3), a talented colt who hasn’t started since winning at Ellis Park in August. As a result of that hiatus, the latter will be used as only a “B” horse in TicketMaker.

Race 11

The card closes out with maiden claimers on the turf, and a class drop from Armchair Jockey (#2), along with a favorable post, results in him being the choice and an “A” runner, along with Crown to the Gold (#1), whose recent grass form is respectable and who starts from the inside. Two “B” horses also hold appeal to a lesser extent: Going to the Beach (#10), whose form is a bit disguised by losses on dirt, and Ox Bro (#4), who, like Armchair Jockey, is dropped from the straight-maiden ranks.

The tickets

Plugging the horses above into TicketMaker with a budget of $137, an all-“A” ticket is emphasized three times by betting it for $1.50, combinations of four “A” horses and a “B” get played for $1, and tickets of three “A” horses with two “B” runners receive action at the 50-cent minimum.