McGee: Del Mar pick four play for Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019

There are any number of ways to try to land a pick-4, so here’s one more approach to consider: bookends reaching for a price, with a two-race middle consisting of a lukewarm favorite and a presumed bingo free-space.

The subject races are the final four Saturday at Del Mar, where I’ll go out on something of a limb by singling Cool Bobby in race 8 and chalking out with Catalina Cruiser in race 9, the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien. Here’s the layout:

Race 7: I’ll try to slip through this opening leg by excluding the two M/L favorites (Nos. 6 and 7) and spreading with these 2yo maiden fillies, most of them first-timers with winning connections: Le Tub (1), Undisturbed (2), Dipping In (3), Perfect Rush (4), Lovely Lilia (5), Cherry City (8), and Establish Justice (10).

Race 8: The last-out turn-back by Cool Bobby (2) resulted in a better-than-looked third-place finish, and now that Peter Eurton is taking the blinkers off after a one-race experiment, this gelding could be set up with a big late run off what figures to be a very fast pace. He’s a winner over the track and seems better suited to sprinting.

Race 9: Making the third start in his form cycle, given the advantageous outside post from where the ultra-hot Flavien Prat can secure a stalk-and-see trip, Catalina Cruiser (7) goes seven furlongs, arguably the most ideal distance you could possibly find for this once-beaten horse boasting five triple-digit Beyers from seven starts.

Race 10: This wide-open finale fairly begs for a click of the “all” button, but instead of that easy (and costly) way out, I’ll winnow it down to Tartini (1), M Town Gem (2), Combat Zone (4), River God (5), Boru (9), Reedley (10), Soul Beam (11), and Into a Hot Spot (12).

:: Play Marty McGee's pick four ticket on DRF TicketMaker

Here’s the straight-A ticket:

R7: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10

R8: 2

R9: 7

R10: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12

50-cent ticket = $28