King: Gulfstream Park pick three for Saturday, July 2
With Awesome Banner looming a standout in the Grade 3 Carry Back at Gulfstream on Saturday, the Pick 3 that begins on that race, the eighth, is appealing to this horseplayer. So here is a look at the wager and how I plan to play it:
Race 8
As noted, Awesome Banner (1) looks like a winner, facing what appears to be a highly suspect field, and racing over a Gulfstream surface, where he has never lost in four sprints. He is also a winner going seven furlongs and is blessed with speed.
What he lacks is a price – but that’s why I’m going the Pick 3 route.
Race 9
Racing shifts to the turf for the next leg, the Spook Express, where Susie Bee (1) and Pink Poppy (5) are the ones I intend to use. Both are in top form and stakes winners over the Gulfstream grass. Of the two, Susie Bee seems the most logical winner, though the latter will offer a larger price.
I’m against classy comebacker Lori’s Stone, who hasn’t raced since January. Often long layoff runners from trainer Marty Wolfson’s barn need a race before returning to full strength.
Race 10
The Smile Sprint ends this Pick 3 sequence, and again it is a race in which I will go only two deep, using the speedy Delta Bluesman (1) and the multiple-graded-placed Limousine Liberal (3). The former has been running well at Monmouth this summer, but is also established at Gulfstream, and the latter has the tactical speed to work out a favorable trip if another rival softens up the one-dimensional Delta Bluesman.
The Tickets
This is a simple, low-cost wager: a $1 Pick 3 of 1 with 1,5 with 1,3 for $8.