Trainer Jason Servis saddles Exclusive Strike (#9, ML 5-1) in Friday's fifth race at Belmont Park, a one-mile claiming race on turf. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Servis is winning at a 32 percent clip in claiming races, for a return on investment of $2.15.
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Sports Book (#5, ML 12-1) returns in Friday's first race at Gulfstream Park, a 7 1/2-furlong claiming race on turf. It will be his first start since finishing fourth by 12 1/4 lengths in an allowance April 30 at Churchill Downs. The first-, second-, and third-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.
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I’ll be playing the late pick four at Santa Anita on Saturday using DRF Ticketmaker, but in a bit of a different style. Many like to go through and label runners as A’s, B’s or C’s – but sometimes I like to simply use A’s and C’s. This is the style I’ll be using here today.
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RACE 6
Last week we recommended that you consider using our very modestly backed Pick in your gimmicks, and for that advice Ourtaleoftwocities answered back with a second-place finish to pay $203 in the exacta and $1,500 in the trifecta if you keyed him. The week itself was light on action and success among the 3-year-olds, with only four BreezeFigs horses breaking their maidens-at Belmont, Gulfstream (two) and Parx. Three others won stakes, however, Celestine at Belmont, Fast Flying Rumor at Monmouth, and
The early pick four Saturday at Belmont beginning in race 2 is, to me, a good-looking sequence. Let’s go after it.
But first, some might wonder if I like the early pick four, why not go after the pick 5, which begins in race 1 and which often pays exponentially higher than one might expect for one additional race? That’s an excellent point, and normally, I would opt for the pick five. But Saturday’s first race is very tricky and potentially fraught with danger. I’d have to go deeper than I want for an eight-horse field and use horses I really don’t like. So early pick four it is.
Kentucky Derby horses can be a little bit like the fans watching from the stands. Some hit it big, others lose money but not their minds, and still others have an experience they would rather forget, like a Derby infielder who has enjoyed too many mint juleps.
Trainer Jon Arnett saddles Jafmils Persuader (#7, ML 3-1) in Thursday’s eighth race at Prairie Meadows, a 1 1/16-mile allowance. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Arnett is winning at a 27 percent clip in allowances, for a return on investment of $3.21.
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Bakken (#6, ML 7-5) returns in Thursday’s eighth race at Belmont Park, a six-furlong optional claimer. It will be his first start since finishing second by 3/4 lengths in an optional claimer May 1 at Belmont Park. The first-, third-, and fourth-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.
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