King: Santa Anita pick four play for Sunday, June 14

The late pick four at Santa Anita is among the more intriguing gimmick wagers there Sunday, and with a 50-cent minimum, it can be played for a modest amount. And with all four races in the sequence being for horses with established form, there are fewer shots in the dark required from horseplayers.

Here’s a look at the sequence, along with the horses I advise using.

Race 6

BEN’S DUCHESS (1), MY FIONA (2), and MEINERTZHAGENI (6) are the three to use.

Ben’s Duchess is pretty obvious, coming off a couple thirds in stakes this year and dropping into an allowance, but My Fiona and Meinertzhageni also bring nice resumes into the race.

My Fiona is a multiple stakes winner against California-breds, and Meinertzhageni is Grade 3 placed and capable of running quickly.

Race 7

HORSE LAUGH (6) and PEPNIC (7) are experienced racing on the downhill course being use for this race, and they can run quickly. They come out of a race similar to this one – a second-level allowance with a $62,500 claiming condition – in which Horse Laugh was second and Pepnic was third.

Race 8

WASTED AT MIDNIGHT (5) and SAM’S SISTER (8) are the preferred plays in the eighth, the Desert Stormer at six furlongs on the main track. Wasted at Midnight is in sharp form and has run first or second in six of nine dirt races, and Sam's Sister is the class of the race, a Grade 1 winner, though one with form question marks after two unplaced efforts this year and layoffs that followed each start.

Race 9

Another 6 1/2 –furlong turf race down the hill, this race has three horses that seem a cut above the rest of the competition: CURRENCY EXCHANGE (3), NAKAMOTO (6), and TRUE IMAGE (9). All three have recorded on-the-board finishes in races tougher than this maiden $50,000 claiming event.

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The tickets

Plugging the horses noted above in a simple 50-cent ticket of 1,2,6 with 6,7 with 5,8 with 3,6,9 costs $18.