King: Gulfstream pick four play for Sunday, Jan. 11

A 50-cent pick four closes out the card at Gulfstream Park on Sunday, and with the modest minimum, the ticket can be played at levels that won’t deplete the wallet.

Regardless, let’s hope to fatten the wallet with a winning ticket. Here’s a look at the sequence, starting with race 8.

Race 8

Up first in a six-furlong dash for maiden claimers that looks wide open. So let’s go deep, using a number of horses and hoping to catch a price.

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I see upside for 20-1 outsider Rapid Lightning (4), and will also use 4-1 Royal Aire (2), and first-off-the-claim Tommy No Ready (9).

Race 9

Fillies and mares sprint five furlongs in this race under first-level optional $25,000 claiming conditions, and again, contention runs deep.

Two accomplished turf sprinters running go on the ticket - Sunrise Kitty (2) and Double the Energy (4), - along with one horse running under the allowance conditions, Runway Ready (8), who makes her second start off a layoff.

Race 10

Whispering Angle (6) impressed in winning first out with a wide trip at Gulfstream Park West and will use this horse along with All in Fun (2), a New York invader with good turf form in this route for 3-year-old fillies.

Race 11

Another five-furlong maiden claimer is up next, and the choice here is Little Baltar (3), who cuts back to a sprint and who ran well sprinting on turf previously.

Given the success of trainer Todd Pletcher with young horses at Gulfstream, also have to use his first-timer, Sir Alfred (4).

The play

Using the horses outlined above in numerical order – 2,4,9 with 2,4,8 with 2,6 with 3,4 results in an $18 play when played in 50-cent combinations.