We’ll start the pick three with a no-brainer single in the $200,000 Real Good Deal in race 5. GIMME DA LUTE (6) is coming off back-to-back wins in graded races and shouldn’t have any trouble handling the cutback in distance to seven furlongs while facing Cal-breds. He appeared to like the new surface when he earned a bullet for his five-furlong move here July 27, and he should get a perfect trip breaking from the outside post in the six-horse field.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Occasionally, a racing card includes vulnerable or undervalued favorites that a bettor is virtually required to wager against.

And then there are cards such as Sunday at Del Mar with an odds-on favorite halfway through and a rock-solid favorite near the end of the card. Both appear formidable.

Holy maidens, Batman! Sunday’s Saratoga card features four maiden special weight events. Between that fact and the expected good weather, this is a card I’ll be excited to see in person. In maiden races, I’m a big believer in doing the preparatory trainer/pedigree work on paper, but then also consulting the workout reports, following the money, and doing my own paddock inspection before making a final decision.

That said, there is one maiden I know I want to play, and I’ll use her to kick off a pick three play starting in race 2.

Race 2

Haskell Day at Monmouth Park is the premier day for racing in New Jersey, and the card features some interesting betting races of course. Here's a look at the late pick five:

Race 10

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DRF Bets GamePlan

I’m in agreement with colleague Mike Watchmaker that the middle of Saturday’s program at Saratoga is a good place to locate live longshots. I will use a slightly different pick three sequence, however, beginning with race 6, and a few different horses.

Another intriguing situation arises at Del Mar on Saturday where one horse can make our day. In this day and age with so many in-race and multi-race wagering options it can be a boon to find that one horse on which to key so many of those wagers. And no, it’s not super-short-priced Beholder in race 8, though she can certainly be a linchpin for so many wagers. No. Instead I’m looking at SWEET SPELL in race 6 as a potential key to the day.

DEL MAR, Calif. – A daily double that keys a longshot comebacker in race 1 is the extent of the strategy Saturday at Del Mar. Let’s take a look.

The card begins with a one-mile race, $16k claiming non-winners of three. The field is weak. Comebacker CHINA GIRL LOVER (2) is capable of an upset at 8-1 program odds.

China Girl Lover has not started in nearly a year, but he returns with a solid work pattern and a key trainer change to Dan Hendricks. The best race of the gelding’s career was his only dirt route. It was a runner-up finish in summer 2014.

Let’s try to exploit some vulnerable favorites in Friday’s late Pick 4 sequence.

Race 7
Tennessee (10) was all the rage for his debut at Gulfstream for Todd Pletcher, but he ran into eventual Grade 3 winner Grand Bili and had to settle for second. I didn’t like the way he hopped back to his left lead once confronted in the lane and he now must travel a demanding seven furlongs off an almost six-month layoff. Tennessee can certainly win, but he isn’t going to offer much value and there are other better-priced horses to consider in this wager.

Moon King fried himself on the early pace last week, so our Pick went down the tubes except for those who keyed him into the superfecta. Meanwhile, BreezeFigs 2-year-olds elsewhere did fairly well last week with eight of them breaking their maidens.  Two came at Del Mar where one of them, on Wednesday, kicked off an $8.20-for-a-buck BreezeFigs exacta; the next day another BreezeFigs exacta came at Parx, this one more generous at $57.20.