Watchmaker: Pick four play at Aqueduct for Saturday, Dec. 6

Most of my betting action Saturday will be on the wild Claiming Crown card at Gulfstream, specifically the last half of it. But the late pick four sequence at Aqueduct, to be run on an inner track that might have seen as much as an inch of rain by the time this wager begins, is okay, too.

Race 6 – Groupthink, who has burned more money in his career than any New York horse in recent memory (he has lost at odds of 3-5, 1-2, 1-2, 8-5, 8-5, 6-5, and at 2-5 just two starts back), returns with his blinkers back on. The beauty of Groupthink is, you know he will be bet again, but you really shouldn’t use him as anything other than a backup. I mean, why should we try and make him win when he simply doesn’t want to?

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I like Curious Cal the best. His turf experiment most recently is a throw-out, he ran respectably against better two back, and got his maiden win at Saratoga three back.

If, somehow, the ban on Finger Lakes shippers is lifted in time for Saturday’s card, then I will also use Decesion Point and Rico Capote as mains, too. Decesion Point won three of his last four starts, and might get a contested pace to stalk. Rico Capote is in raging form having won three straight, and has the best recent Beyer Figures.

I would also thrown in Riverdance Rock, yet another winning Finger Lakes horse, who is appealing off the Jeremiah Englehart re-claim.

Race 7 – Salisbury Knight is my only main here. He ran into very sharp next-out winners in his last two starts, which were decent efforts, anyway. He matched his career-best Beyer in a close third most recently, and was part of a pace that was much too fast when he went long two back.

My backups here are Spinning for Home, competitive off his maiden win on dirt three back, and backed by a Michelle Nevin barn that can’t be ignored; Changewilldoyagood, who showed ability on turf in his three career starts, and who has a license to handle dirt as well; and Spider Roll, off his wet track maiden victory two back.

Race 8, the Garland of Roses – It doesn’t matter if the quick Winning Image runs on this race or in the stakes she was cross-entered in at Laurel. Bridgehampton is the speed of the speed here off the extremely fast to insane paces in which she was involved in her last three starts. By using her and Willet, who will appreciate the return to sprinting and is a formidable closer, you have the main pace player and main stretch threat, and, I believe, you pretty much lock this race up.

But I will also throw in Sounds of the City as a back-up because she likes a wet track, will be a price, and could really enhance this pick 4four payoff if for some reason both Bridgehampton and Willet fail to show up.

Race 9 – I have got three main and three backup horses in this one. Coverage is a nice thing to have in a race where actual ability is at an extreme premium.

I like Fit to Keep the best, as he ran reasonably well last time out considering he was glued to a dead rail, and he will like the cut back to a sprint. But I will use Jacapo and Malamute’s Friend in equal strength. Jacapo showed improvement when third last time in his first start for Jamie Ness, and also showed an interesting change of running style. Malamute’s Friend is a first-time starter from a Nick Esler barn that has outstanding numbers in the pertinent categories, and he doesn’t have to be much against this group.

My backups are Worbothor, who might be turf meant, but who did take some money in his only start and now takes the big drop into maiden claimers; Louie’s Luck, the other firster in this field; and B. B.’s Remington, who was empty as the beaten favorite last time out, but who was okay in the slop two back.

Here’s the play, which will get a lot leaner without those three Finger Lakes horses in race 6: