McGee: Del Mar pick four play for Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018

Trying to leverage a couple of firm opinions involving 3-year-olds in races 6 and 8, I’ll look to corner the late pick four Sunday at Del Mar with the following $20 play:

Race 6: Two recent claims, We Will Re Joyce (9) and Myrcella, have combined for 11 career wins already, which is far above average for 3-year-old fillies at this time of year, but the latter has been particularly ineffective over the Del Mar surface and enters off a subpar effort, whereas We Will Re Joyce is on a roll and makes her first start for Morey. From a favorable outer post, she’s a single (and, in the off chance she doesn’t come through, I’ll restart with a pick three in the next race).

Race 7: I’ll try to stay alive by using half the field, all from winning barns, in this 2-year-old maiden race that’s evidently restricted to first-timers: Absolute Control (1), Aardvark (3), Music to My Ears (4), Street Image (5), and Spin Lightning (10).

Race 8: Upo (9), adding blinkers and comfortably drawn, is the one to beat in this $50,000 turf claimer for 3-year-olds and is likely to trip out well under Drayden Van Dyke. But I’ll protect with East Rand (5), who drops out of tougher spots.

Race 9: Again, lots of guessing going on here, but I’ll rely on a trio of first-timing Cal-breds in capable hands – Lucky Again (1), Give Me a Hint (2), and Sky Babe (3) – along with Spicy Curry (9), who’s eligible to show major improvement off a disappointing first out (from the rail) when adding blinkers and getting benefit of an outer post.

:: See Marty McGee’s pick four play in DRF TicketMaker and bet it with DRF Bets

Here’s the straight-A ticket:

R6: 9

R7: 1, 3, 4, 5, 10

R8: 5, 9

R9: 1, 2, 3, 9

50-cent ticket = $20