King: Gulfstream Park pick four for Saturday, March 25

With a ho-hum first half of the card Saturday at Gulfstream, the most appealing wager of the day is the late pick four, particularly since I have a 4-1 price horse to single in the featured Skip Away Stakes in Fear the Cowboy.

Race 10, maiden special weight

Secretary At War (1) seems to be the best colt in this 7 1/2-furlong turf race, and drawing the inside post with a short run to the first of two turns is another advantage. There are a couple others who also warrant use: Storm Team (6) and Silver Defense (4). The former has numbers that are competitive with those of Secretary At War, though these figures were earned in turf sprints, and the latter has twice run competitively in similar short grass routes.

Race 11, Any Limit Stakes

With morning-line favorite Cursor (3) being unraced since November, I’m going to spread in this leg in hopes of catching a price. I will use Cursor but also Who's the Lady (5), Faith N Hope (1), and Truge (4) – a trio of fillies separated by a half-length in a starter allowance March 8.

Race 12, Skip Away Stakes

Fear the Cowboy (4), making his third start of the year, was scratched from a much tougher Essex Handicap at Oaklawn last week in favor of this soft Grade 3. Throw in a 2-for-4 record over the Gulfstream strip, and he looks poised for a top performance. A single.

Race 13, maiden special weight

Last up is another 7 1/2-furlong turf contest, a race Game Factor (7) seems most likely to win. Second in his lone start, he is a candidate to improve following that experience. A couple of well-bred first-timers, Lovin Empire (2) and Goldwood (1), are his principal threats and are well drawn toward the inside, so I will use all three.

The Tickets

Playing the horses outlined above, a 50-cent pick four of 1,4,6 with 1,3,4,5 with 3 with 1,2,7 costs $18.