9/10/16 Los Alamitos Race Course Late Pick Four - Preview

It's Opening Weekend for The "These Dates Used to Belong To The Los Angeles County Fair" Meet at Los Alamitos, with The E. B. Johnston for California breds serving as Saturday's featured race.  We'll be looking at that contest below, as we take another run at The Late Pick Four at Orange County's own Los Alamitos Race Course.

RACE 6 - MSW - Six Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 3 Ideal (Morning Line 2-1)
# 4 Lord Simba (ML 5-2)
# 5 Handful of Stripes (ML 7-2)

B's

None

C's

None

Ideal and Handful of Stripes are both returning to the non-claiming maiden ranks after each having taken the Place while running with a price tag on their head last time out.  Lord Simba is a first time starter for Trainer Bob Baffert who has been working well over this main track and seems to be well meant.

RACE 7 - OC 40k/N$Y - Six and a Half Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 3 Celebrated Talent (ML 3-1)

# 5 Pray Hard (ML 7-2)

B’s

# 2 Overcomer (ML 6-1)

# 7 Sleepwalker (ML 4-1)

C's

# 1 Horse Greedy (ML 4-1)

# 4 Classico (ML 5-1)
# 6 Hye I'm Jack (ML 12-1)

Celebrated Talent drops in class after taking the Show against classier competition two starts back.  Pray Hard found seven furlongs to be a bridge too far last time out, and should improve with the reduction in real estate that he needs to cover.

Overcomer has been winning relatively easily against over-matched opposition.  Overcomer should be competitive at this class level.  Sleepwaker has been working well over this main track, and therefore deserves consideration despite the fact that runners for Trainer Peter Eurton tend to need a race when returning from an extended vacation.

The "C" Selections are everyone else.  This one appears to be the most contentious contest in the sequence, so it's everyone into the pool.

RACE 8 - [S] The E. B. Johnston $75k - Eight Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 4 Soi Phet (ML 8-5)

B's

None

C's

# 1 Songforjohnmichael (ML 4-1)

# 2 Magic Mark (ML 2-1)

Scratch # 3 El Huerfano (ML 5-1)

They ran the H F Brubaker in two divisions at Del Mar last month; Soi Phet won the faster of the two; Magic Mark the other.  Songforjohnmichael may be able to pick up the pieces should Soi Phet and Magic Mark duel each other into the ground before the wire.

RACE 9 - Md $20k - Eight Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 4 Woodie B Awesome (ML 7-2)

B's

# 2 Alston (ML 3-1)

# 6 Coach Q (ML 5-2)

# 8 Silver Chrome (ML 6-1)

# 9 Gavination (ML 5-1)

C's

None

Scratch the Also Eligibles: # 11 Money Makin Mike (ML 4-1) and # 12 Glitter's Song (ML 20-1)

Woodie B Awesome took the Place at this class level last time out.  Alston has finished in the Trifecta at this class level in four of his last five starts.  Coach Q drops sharply in class for Trainer Bob Baffert.

Silver Chrome took the Show at this class level last time out.  Gavination may be quickest early.

OK, that's the analysis.  Playing our tickets in Crist fashion, we get:

All A Entries

$1.00 P4: 3,4,5 with 3,5 with 4 with 4 $6.00

All A Entries with All B Entries

$0.50 P4: 3,4,5 with 2,3,5,7 with 4 with 2,4,6,8,9 $30.00

A's with One C

$0.50 P4: 3,4,5 with 1,4,6 with 4 with 4 $4.50

$0.50 P4: 3,4,5 with 3,5 with 1,2 with 4 $6.00

Total: $46.50

Post Time for Race 6 is 7:28 EDT / 4:28 PDT.  Good luck to all.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo