Lots of claiming races on the first half of this Saratoga card. I don’t have a problem playing claiming races generally, but it’s not what I’m looking for at Saratoga. Worse than that, I can’t find a comfortable toehold in any of the early races. I’m a fan of 2-year-old maidens going long on turf, and that’s race 2, but there are too many moving parts in this race. Chad Brown has for quite some time been showing a flat-bet profit with first-time starters in turf routes, but what do you do when he has two in the same race, which is the case here?

On what looks like it could be a chalky day at Del Mar, I like AUNTY PEARL at what should be a decent price in the last race and will use her as a key component in the pick four.
Race 7: (10) FINEST CITY is clearly the horse to beat. She is coming off as strong debut and has worked well in the interim. (3) LILY POD could improve enough with the blinkers going on. (5) PONDER LEA has been working well enough for a trainer who can have them ready to roll first time out.

A pair of maiden routes to begin and end the pick four sequence look like good places to focus on non-favorites, especially the ninth race for New York-bred maiden claimers going nine furlongs on turf.

Let's take a swing at the late pick four Sunday as we get ready for the excitement of Travers week up here in Saratoga.

Race 8

DEL MAR, Calif. – Perhaps there are horseplayers able to grind out a profit based on volume of winners. If so, they will like the Sunday card at Del Mar.
It’s a program that includes a handful of “can’t miss” favorites.

How can NEWFOUND GOLD lose race 1? He destroyed $12,500 claiming sprinters last time by more than seven lengths and returns Sunday at the same level. Newfound Gold is listed at 8-5 and probably will be odds-on. He is the first slam dunk.

Today’s featured Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga brings together the winners of the five most prestigious Grade 1 races for 3-year-old dirt fillies that have been run this year – Curalina (Acorn, Coaching Club American Oaks), Lovely Maria (Ashland, Kentucky Oaks), and Include Betty (Mother Goose), as well as graded stakes winner I’m a Chatterbox, who finished first in the CCA Oaks but was disqualified and placed second for bothering Curalina nearing the wire. Three intriguing but probably overmatched maiden/allowance winners complete the field of seven.

We’ll take our weekly crack at the late pick four at Saratoga with a $500,000 guaranteed pool.

8^th race: The racing office did us a favor by carding this firster-filled baby race as the opening leg, which affords a look at the betting and pre-race appearances. That doesn’t do us much good for purposes of this exercise, however, so on the blind we shall go with PATRICK’S DAY (1), FOREVAMO (3), PORTFOLIO MANAGER (5), GIFT BOX (8), and SHEIKH OF SHEIKHS (10).

DEL MAR, Calif. – Pacific Classic day is a good time to take a shot at the pick six on races 6-11. The $100 ticket includes three stand-alone singles (no backups). The three remaining races will use TicketMaker strategy.

Race 6

It’s the meet’s marquee day with plenty of races Saturday at Del Mar. There are some short fields during the first part of the card, which may limit your options there. Still, with all this action there are opportunities later in the day. Here are a few horses who may prove useful for your in-race and multi-race wagers.

Race 6

Dido (#3, ML 5-2) returns in Friday’s sixth race at Del Mar, the 1 3/8-mile CTT and TOC Handicap on turf. It will be her first start since finishing second by 2 ½ lengths in the River Memories Stakes on July 5 at Belmont Park. The first-, third-, and seventh-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.