King: Gulfstream Park pick four for Saturday, March 4

Focused around a single in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf, the speedy Heart to Heart, here is my strategy for the late pick four at Gulfstream on Saturday – a sequence that includes three other graded races, capped by the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.

Race 10, Davona Dale

Although this one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies drew a full field of 14, I view three horses as standing above the rest: Miss Sky Warrior (7), Eloquent Riddle (9), and Pretty City Dancer (12).

Miss Sky Warrior is my top selection, having won three straight races, including the Tempted and Demoiselle stakes to close out her 2-year-old campaign. But not having started since Nov. 26, she could return rusty. So, Eloquent Riddle and Pretty City Dancer will also go on my tickets. Both start for powerhouse stables and enter in top form.

Race 11, Canadian Turf

Heart to Heart (3) is my single. An honest front-runner, he is quite difficult when allowed to set the pace – a scenario that seems likely in this one-mile turf race. None of his foes seems to have as much speed as him.

Race 12, Mac Diarmida

This is among the deepest turf marathons contested this year in terms of numbers and quality, and the winner likely will be the horse who gets the best trip. I slightly prefer Bigger Picture (7) to win, but the advice is to go deep. Also on my tickets will be Charming Kitten (5), Wake Forest (4), Taghleeb (9), and Danish Dynaformer (1).

Race 13, Fountain of Youth

The presence of headstrong front-runner Takaful infuses more pace into the Fountain of Youth than last month’s Holy Bull, which should benefit the off-the-pace horses in the lineup.

Practical Joke (6) has already closed to win a fast-paced Champagne last year, and even his third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was deceptively good given how fast that race was. Training well for his first start of the year, he gets a narrow edge.

Gunnevera (2), a troubled second in the Holy Bull when checked on the far turn, rates as my second pick, followed by Holy Bull winner Irish War Cry (8). I will use those three, plus Three Rules (7) and Made You Look (9).

The ticket

Playing the horses outlined above, a 50-cent pick four of 7,9,12 with 3 with 1,4,5,7,9 with 2,6,7,8,9 costs $37.50.