Saturday Plays: Oaklawn Pick 4 with Whitmore and Essex

With two graded stakes races on tap, Oaklawn’s Saturday card looks like the best one to handicap. The track hosts the Grade 3, $200,000 Whitmore Stakes and Grade 3, $500,000 Essex Handicap as part of the late pick 4 sequence.

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Oaklawn Race 7: Whitmore Stakes (G3)

Royal Daaher won a local six-furlong allowance race on Feb. 19 in a strong manner. He set the pace under pressure and kept finding more late to cross the wire 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Top Gunner and a hanging Atoka in third.

For the Feb. 19 win, Royal Daaher earned a 116 TimeformUS Speed Figure. Now he makes his third start off the bench and might wire the field again.

Greeley and Ben is a candidate to secure the lead as well. If not set the pace, he can also stalk the leaders well and wait for an opening as he did in a local Feb. 21 starter allowance race. He won by 1 3/4 lengths for his third straight win.

Greeley and Ben’s 30-19-5-1 overall record is hard to ignore.

Win/place: 6 (at 8-1 or higher)

Pick 4: 3,6 / 3,4,5,7 / 1,3,4 / 7

Oaklawn Race 8: 3-year-old Maiden

This race is likely a spread race for most bettors.

Life On the Nile set the pace with pressure on him in a local Feb. 26 maiden race. He shook clear of his early pace opponent and 2-5 favorite Quick to Blame, but ended up second when Curly Tail caught him late to win.

Regardless, Life On the Nile earned a field-high 104 on TimeformUS and cannot be discounted on that speed figure alone.

Magnificus ran eighth in his career debut on the same card. He could improve though on the stretchout from six furlongs to one mile.

El Gemar came closing late for third in a Feb. 21 six-furlong sprint. Not every closer moves forward on the stretchout, but he might improve too.

Major Contender ran fifth and third in a pair of six-furlong maiden races at Fair Grounds. He did face some stiff competition in both races though. In his Jan. 23 career debut, notice that Zozos, Stayed in for Half and Strong Quality made up the trifecta and all three of them won their next starts.

Oaklawn Race 9: Essex Handicap (G3)

Plainsman and Thomas Shelby put on a great show in the Razorback Handicap (G3) to finish 1-2 after contesting the pace with each other and battling in the stretch. Both horses are capable of repeating those efforts.

Warrior’s Charge figures to stalk the pair in third. He won his last start in a local Jan. 28 optional claiming race by a stunning 9 ¾ lengths with a career-high 127 TimeformUS Speed Figure. If he repeats the effort, then he wins.

Oaklawn Race 10: Allowance

Pharoah’s Heart broke slow in her first start over this track on Feb. 12. She made a nice recovery to close and only lose by a head in the end.

Last year at Santa Anita, Pharoah’s Heart finished second by one length to the Grade 1 stakes-placed Crystal Ball in an optional claiming race.

Pharoah’s Heart came up empty in the Santa Margarita Stakes (G2) in her next start at 9-2 while losing by 22 1/2 lengths, but the effort is forgivable. She went on the shelf afterwards and possibly had a physical problem.

Now Pharoah's Heart stretches back out to one mile, the same distance as when she ran second to Crystal Ball. She should sit closer to the pace.

Pharoah’s Heart’s odds could drop far lower than the 5-2 listed on the morning line. Bettors might want to consider just playing the pick 3 ending in the Essex instead of using a popular single in this leg.  

If playing the Pick 4 though, Pharoah’s Heart is the single.