Although the Razorback and the Southwest are the races that will command the most attention at Oaklawn on Monday, it is the last race - a maiden race at 1 1/16 miles - that has me intrigued from a betting perspective. I plan to play an exacta part-wheel, keying Vandelay (3) to run first or second.

Vandelay has shown steady progress in each of his three starts, particularly in his most-recent start when second going a mile in his first start around two turns. He seems the likely winner and is a decent price at his 7-2 morning line.

Early pick four (races 2-5)

Race 2: No. 4 Lady Luciano is the horse to beat, and a must use, taking a significant drop in class with an adaptable running style. The other horse for me is No. 1 Picture Day. She is also dropping in class for this, and while her last effort was a bit of a disappointment, she did spend much of that race trying to rally along a dead rail.

Race 2:
Lady Luciano (#4)
Is projected to be stalking a slow early pace.
Was overmatched last time when contesting a pace that collapsed.
Ran much better than it appears two back when she made a four-wide premature move around the turn.
4-1 on ML
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Aqueduct | Race 5 | Post Time 2:50 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs 

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Oaklawn Park | Race 9 | Post Time 5:09 p.m. (CT) | Go To The FREE TimeformUS PPs 

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Race 4:
No Hayne No Gayne (#5)

Was hindered by a wide trip against an inside speed bias Jan. 14.
Hung in well after forcing a fast pace last time in her first route attempt.
May be able to control this race on the front end under an aggressive ride from Kendrick Carmouche.
3-1 on ML
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Race 5:
Doyouknowsomething (#2)

Aqueduct | Race 3 | Post Time 1:50 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs 

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While trying to leverage a strong opinion on a horse in the third race Sunday at Gulfstream, I tried to come up with an early pick five (races 1-5) but found both the fourth and fifth races absolutely confounding. Go ahead and extend this opening pick three into those races if you’ve got a solid opinion, but I felt the best way to maximize my play was to land squarely on HERR DROSSELMEYER in race 3.

With the Grade 3 El Camino Real for 3-year-old colts adding intrigue to Saturday’s card at Golden Gate, here’s a look at the 50-cent late Pick 4 there, as well as a suggested ticket.

One of the main issues for tackling Santa Anita’s Sunday card is how to gauge the track condition. Heavy recent rain almost surely will impact the footing, though it’s encouraging that track management still carded a couple of turf events for Sunday. So, if they felt good enough to card such races, we’ll rely on their judgment that the footing will be decent. With that in mind, the end-of-the-day pick three (races 8-10), with a turf race as its middle leg, has some appeal.

Race 8