King: Pick four play at Gulfstream for Sunday, Jan. 24

With three of the four final races at Gulfstream Park on Sunday being closely matched, the late pick four, which can be played in 50-cent increments, is an attractive wager in which to spread. So here’s my strategy for hitting it, ranking horses as either an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ based on their probability of winning each respective race, and then plugging the horses into DRF’s Ticketmaker program.

Race 8

The first leg, a first-level allowance, is competitive, and I will go with two A plays and two B’s.

FLYING TAPIT (2) is my top choice based on what she did at Saratoga and Kentucky Downs last year, and though coming off a poor last race, it came in a 1 3/8-mile race that was beyond her best and run over a tiring Churchill Downs turf course in mid-November.

She is an A, along with SILVERY STARLET (1), who ran a close fifth in a comeback race Jan. 1 at Gulfstream. She is likely to improve in her second start off a layoff.

The two B’s are FROSTY FRIDAY (4), another making her second start off a layoff and a filly coming off a troubled fourth-place finish, and longshot SWEET MIRI (5), who broke poorly last out, costing her to lose all chance given her front-running style.

Race 9

Inexperienced maidens on the turf make for many unknowns in race 9, and it seems best to go deep in this race.

TAPIT TOGETHER (3) and ANY GIVEN TRACE (1) are the two A plays, both coming off competitive tries in recent starts over the course.

I’ll back them up with a trio of B’s: promising first-timers CORBY (8) and TARALENA (6), and recent runner-up finisher CONQUEST DYNASTY (5).

Race 10

ARGHAD (1) is one of the most likely winners of the day, having run well in two starts, and quite quickly in a near-miss last out.

Knowing Arghad will be singled on many tickets, I will also toss in SPEIGHTSTOWN TIME (5) as a B, with the thinking that upset from him could lead to a blow-up potential in the pick four.

Race 11

Last up are maiden $35,000 claimers on the grass, where I will use three A’s: GEM (5), TRIP THE QUEEN (8), and BRIANA’S BUCKET (1).

Gem and Brianna’s Bucket have the best current turf form of this group, while Trip the Queen offers value and is working quickly after doing nothing in her lone start.

The Ticket

Plugging the above-mentioned horses into Ticketmaker, for $84 an all ‘A’ ticket can be played for $1.50; any combination of three ‘A’ horses and ‘B’ for $1; and two ‘A’ horses and two ‘B’ runners for 50 cents.

:: See Byron King’s pick four play in DRF TicketMaker and bet it with DRF Bets