King: Louisiana Downs pick four for Saturday, Sept. 10

A 50-cent pick four with a guaranteed pool of $100,000 that culminates with the Grade 3 Super Derby is among the most appealing wagers at Louisiana Downs on Saturday, so here’s a look at the sequence.

The first leg is the eighth race, the Sunday Silence for 2-year-olds going a mile on grass. There, I recommend using three horses, Keilbasa (11), Hembree (6), and Royal By Nature (9) – all first-out winners on the grass with seemingly the potential to be stakes horses.

The ninth race, the River Cities for older fillies and mares on the grass, follows next and looks like a competitive race. Again, my preference is to go three deep, playing My Love Venezuela (10), C d’Cat (9), and Artistic License (1). They’re in top form and have similar Beyer Speed Figures in the low 80s.

Coalport (12) is then best played as a single in the 10th race, the Unbridled, where he is matched up largely against Louisiana-breds.

Lastly, the Super Derby, race 11, is another race in which it seems best to go three deep, using Dalmore, Texas Chrome, and Mo Tom. Dalmore (6) is the fastest, Texas Chrome (5) is the value, and Mo Tom (2) is the classiest on a consistent basis.

The recommended ticket is a basic one: a 50-cent pick four of 6, 9, 11 with 1, 9, 10 with 12 with 2, 5, 6. The cost of the ticket is $13.50.