King: Santa Anita pick four for Saturday, March 7

Going to try a small ticket in the late pick four Saturday at Santa Anita, which, following the scratch of Chitu from the ninth race, leaves the sequence with two singles – CONQUEST TWO STEP (4) in the ninth and SHARED BELIEF in the Big Cap, race 11. Hoping to connect to a price in the first leg and potentially make the pick four return respectable; obviously CONQUEST TWO STEP and SHARED BELIEF will be singled on many tickets.

Race 8

The late pick four kicks off with the China Doll for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on turf. It’s a competitive race, and with numerous fillies shifting distances or surfaces, it seems best to go deep. In order of preference, let’s use four fillies: SHE’S A BIG WINNER (2), BOBBI GRACE (8), CURLIN’S FOX (5), and SPIRIT OF XIAN (7).

Race 9

CONQUEST TWO STEP (4) ran down a classier group when he won the Palos Verdes over Secret Circle after previously finishing second in the Malibu on the Santa Anita main track; a standout now with Chitu scratched.

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Race 10

SUMMER FRONT (8) was one of the top turf milers of last year and is likely fully cranked for his seasonal debut, with his connections aiming to make him a Grade 1 winner, key for a son of War Front with long-term sire potential. Defending champion WINNING PRIZE (3) makes his first start since August after a troubled summer campaign in 2014; also worth using in the gimmicks since he is at his best on this turf course; also can’t leave out classy veteran ZA APPROVAL (11).

Race 11

SHARED BELIEF (5) is a single. The champion 2-year-old of 2013 and a winner of nine of 10 races, his only defeat came when he was fourth in the Breeder’s Cup Classic after being impeded at the start. That was a far better race than this soft renewal of the Big Cap.

The ticket

Playing the horses outlined above and listing them in numerical order, a $1 ticket using 2,5,7,8 with 4, with 3,8,11 with 5 can be bet for $12.