Sunday, March 19, 2023

3/19/23 Golden Gate Late Pick Four - Preview

"Swing hard, in case they throw the ball where you're swinging." - Duke Snider

Turning my attention to Northern California this Sunday, primarily to keep my mind in focus, so that there isn't too long a gap between plays.  I will note here that, because of the (relatively) small field sizes in the sequence, every runner will be used in some capacity.  So let's just get to it, as I take a run at The Late Pick Four at The Bay's Best Bet.

RACE 6 - (F) Clm $12.5k - Five and a Half Furlongs Synthetic

I'm pro Morning Line Favorite # 5 O'Neill's Legacy (Morning Line 8-5) in this leg; so much so that I've made O'Neill's Legacy a single on my main ticket.

I spent a good deal of time trying to decide where to slot # 3 Kitty's Candy (ML 4-1), going back and forth between C and C+.  Kitty's Candy fits these conditions well; but it's been quite a while since Kitty's Candy has gotten her photo taken post race.  Actually, that seems to be true for most of this field; so much so that, when I first glanced at the Past Performances and saw how long several in this field have gone without a Win, I thought that this was actually a conditioned race for non-winners since whenever (Clm N1Y).  But, no, this is an open Claiming contest.  Ultimately, I decided to make Kitty's Candy a C+ Selection.

RACE 7 - Clm $12.5k N2L - Eight Furlongs Synthetic

Scratch # 7 Stormin Galileo (ML 3-1)

Another race, another single; though, in this leg, my single isn't the Morning Line Favorite.  My top pick here is # 6 Asano's Back (ML 4-1), who is taking a huge dive off the class ladder after taking the Show in one of those California Special Starter Allowances (Alw 50000s NW2L X).  While I would love to see it, I think that 4-1 is some California Dreaming; but, with that said, Stormin Galileo is a value play in the Win pool at anything above even money.

RACE 8 - Clm $16k - Five and a Half Furlongs Synthetic

This is my spread race, my one realistic opportunity in this sequence to catch a price.  I'll still be using the Morning Line Favorite, # 1 Should Be Illegal (ML 9-5), prominently in my play (B+ Selection), as I believe his chances warrant such a position.  But I did not allow Should Be Illegal to go out all by himself on the main ticket, as Should Be Illegal is coming out of a race less than a month ago where he disappointed as the Post Time Favorite and, post race, was the subject of a voided claim.

I should mention that there are also questions regarding my top pick (A Selection) in this event, # 5 Grit and Curiosity (ML 4-1).  This Jonathan Wong trainee disappointed two races in a row as the Post Time Favorite in $10k Claiming Races, before succeeding last time out in a $12.5 Claiming affair.  Now Grit and Curiosity goes up yet another rung on the class ladder; so that's a concern.  But on the other hand, Wong tends to do very well when placing his last out win.  And 4-1 is a nice price for a Jonathan Wong horse at Golden Gate Fields.  So it's the top slot for Grit and Curiosity, joining three others on my main ticket.

RACE 9 - Clm $29k N2X - Six Furlongs Synthetic

My A Selection here, Morning Line Favorite, # 2 I'm a Lucky Man (ML 2-1), probably should be a single in this leg.  But I decided to include # 8 Enos Slaughter (ML 10-1) on the main ticket as well (B Selection).  Enos Slaughter is returning to competition after have spent the last fifteen months or so on the bench.  While such is a pretty bright red flag, I like that Enos Slaughter, who typically competes around two turns, is returning at a sprint distance.  I like seeing that because, all the way back in July 2021, Enos Slaughter, returning to competition after an absence of over a year, competed in a six furlong contest and won by over two lengths.  Maybe history repeats itself Sunday.

Okay; that's the commentary.  Here, in beautiful living color, are all my Selections:

PICK FOUR"A" SELECTIONS"B+" SELECTIONS"B" SELECTIONS"C+" SELECTIONS"C" SELECTIONS
LEG 15,1,32,4,6
LEG 26,51,2,3,4
LEG 35,1,3,42,6,7
LEG 42,81,43,5,6,7

And here's what those Selections look like when translated into tickets, using a variation of the Crist method:

All A Entries

$1.00 P4: 5 with 6 with 5 with 2 $1.00

All A Entries with All B+ Entries

$1.00 P4: 5 with 6 with 1,3,5 with 2 $3.00

All A Entries with All B Entries

$0.50 P4: 5 with 6 with 1,3,4,5 with 2,8 $4.00

A's and B+'s with One C+

$0.50 P4: 1,3 with 6 with 1,3,5 with 2 $3.00
$0.50 P4: 5 with 5 with 1,3,5 with 2 $1.50
$0.50 P4: 5 with 6 with 2 with 2 $0.50
$0.50 P4: 5 with 6 with 1,3,5 with 1,4 $3.00

A's with One C

$0.50 P4: 2,4,6 with 6 with 5 with 2 $1.50
$0.50 P4: 5 with 1,2,3,4 with 5 with 2 $2.00
$0.50 P4: 5 with 6 with 6,7 with 2 $1.00
$0.50 P4: 5 with 6 with 5 with 3,5,6,7 $2.00

Total: $22.50

Post Time for Race 6 is 7:16 EDT / 4:16 PDT.  Good luck to all.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo

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