The late pick four Sunday at Saratoga is an appealing sequence. Here’s my play, via a DRF Ticketmaker link, followed by some race-by-race thoughts:

Race 2

It was “one-paced Saturday” as far as all of our Pix were concerned last week as the 2-year-olds and the lone 3-year-old that we liked each managed to get off well and then just gallop along without accelerating when it counted. Sometimes you have those days. It was a fairly decent week otherwise for BreezeFigs maidens, especially at Del Mar. Among the 3-year-olds, three won at Del Mar and one each at Ellis Park, Laurel and Saratoga.

After the early scratch of the hopeless Croninthebarbarian, Chad Brown is down to a mere four entrants in Friday’s featured Grade 2 Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga, including the morning-line favorite (Night Prowler), the 5-1 third choice (Takeover Target), and the 6-1 fourth choice (Startup Nation). His fourth entrant, Winter Springs, is listed at 15-1, but the French colt adding Lasix for his U.S. debut could be better than all of them. If the four were coupled as an entry, it would be odds-on. Since they’re all separate betting interests, handicappers have a much tougher job.

Trainer O.J. Jauregui saddles Natalie Paige (#7, ML 8-1) in Friday's second race at Del Mar, a one-mile claimer on dirt. Since Jan., 1, 2014, Jauregui is winning at a 30 percent clip in dirt races, for a return on investment of $4.96.

Check out the Positive ROI report as part of DRF Plus.

Several non-favorites look quite playable in the first two legs of a pick three on Friday night’s card at Del Mar that begins with Race 5 and ends with the Daisycutter.

Dancing Wind (#7, ML 8-1) makes her return in Friday’s fourth race at Gulfstream Park, a 7 1/2-furlong maiden claimer on turf.  It will be her first start since a third-place finish by a half-length in a maiden race May 25 at Gulfstream Park. The second- and fourth-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.

I’m focusing on price horses that look playable in the first leg of a pick three on Saturday’s card at Saratoga. The fifth race is for maidens going long on turf and I’m taking a stance against morning-line favorite Lookaroundcorners and using  three horses, including a pair listed at 15-1.

The Friday evening card at Del Mar features the $80,000 Daisycutter turf sprint as race 7 of an eight-race program, along with a few other interesting races with big fields. Here’s how I’ll look to play the card.

Race 4:

Races 2-3

I’ll start the day by relying on a cold daily double that combines TRAVEL FREE (10) in the second with TOEWS ON ICE (3) in the third. Travel Free should be a square price when favorably drawn in the far outside hole, from where Martin Pedroza could get a stalk-and-see trip from just off some speedy fillies to her inside. Toews On Ice was absolutely pounded at the windows in his debut for Bob Baffert and now stands to benefit from a first start in which he took all the worst of it on a speed duel.