McGee: Late pick four play at Del Mar for Saturday, August 17, 2019

Del Mar Pick four, races 8-11

Saturday evenings are made that much more enjoyable with first-class horse racing to bet on – and what better way to spend this particular Saturday than by diving into a pick four with the $1 million Pacific Classic as a focal point.

I’ll start the sequence by singling Sneaking Out in the first leg, the Torrey Pines, and spread from there. (And on the off chance, ha ha, that this pick-four ticket doesn’t stay alive, you can always come back with the same numbers in the last pick three of the card.) Here’s the layout:

Race 8: Something about Del Mar often brings out the best in Drayden Van Dyke, and he’ll be at the controls when the standout Cal-bred Sneaking Out (6) stretches back out around two turns. Beaten a nose at a dime on the dollar in the restricted Fleet Treat last month, Sneaking Out stands to make amends with a well-timed ride.

Race 9: The Chad Brown national victory tour takes its act to the far west, where Cambier Parc (1) surely will be favored a week after the stable’s unprecedented stakes sweep at Arlington Park. Still, the Del Mar Oaks drew a sneaky-good field, so I’ll use backup in the form of Hard Legacy (4), Raymundos Secret (5), Apache Princess (8), and Lady Prancealot (11).

Race 10: Quip (2) stands to get first run in the Pacific Classic when returning fresh from his big effort in the Stephen Foster, but if he can’t quite last the mile and a quarter, it should be Pavel (3) or Seeking the Soul (5) who reel him in.

Race 11: This wide-open finale for first-level filly-mare turf milers probably could use a few more ticked boxes, but I’ll take my chances with my top four selections, those being True to Herself (1), Betty F (7), Peter’s Kitten (9), and An Eddie Surprise (11).

Here’s the straight-A ticket:
R8: 6
R9: 1, 4, 5, 8, 11
R10: 2, 3, 5
R11: 1, 7, 9, 11

50-cent ticket = $30