Keys to playing Churchill Downs' Opening Night Pick 4 on a budget
Saturday marks Opening Night at Churchill Downs, and I will tackle the Late Pick 4, featuring the $100,000 William Walker Stakes for 3-year-olds dashing five furlongs on the turf course.
The sequence will start with Race 7, an allowance turf route with a scheduled post time of 9:05 p.m. ET. It will be followed by Race 8, a six furlong optional claiming dirt sprint (9:39) and Race 9, the William Walker (10:11 p.m. ET). The final leg of the Pick 4 will be Race 10, a starter allowance dirt route (10:42).
The Pick 4 will have a minimum bet of 50 cents, and I will use one of my favorite cost-effective wagering strategies, the spread ticket formula. It would cost $300 to lump all of my contenders on one ticket, but the spread ticket formula knocks the price down to a much more affordable $38.
Late Pick 4 Contenders
Race 7 (Alw-1x, 8.5T)
Primary - #8 PATRIOT DRIVE
Secondary - #2 Artful Union, #5 Cruz Diez, #1 Plug Catcher, #6 Chantmeupbaby
Comments: Patriot Drive was last away from the hedge and ended up an OK sixth of 11 on March 17. He won by six-plus lengths in a claiming turf route at Fair Grounds before that and can run past these for the productive Lanerie/Amoss team.
Race 8 (OC-80k/3x, 6f)
Primary - #7 ASTROLLINTHEPARK, #5 Treble
Secondary - #3 Nineteenth Street, #4 Miss Kentucky, #6 Defy
Comments: Astrollinthepark broke out and was fourth as my top last time. She earned a decent number in her 4-year-old bow at Fair Grounds before that, and Geroux is 4-for-15 with Jones. Treble exits back-to-back easy wins at Oaklawn. Hat trick time?
Race 9 (William Walker, 5T)
Primary - #7 BECKFORD, #5 Masked
Secondary - #4 Elusive Mischief, #9 Drena’s Star, #10 Pure Shot, #1 Salmanzar
Comments: Beckford was a quality turf sprinter in Ireland last year, and he was a belated fifth of 14 in the productive Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. He drilled a Churchill turf bullet on April 22. Masked won his last two downhill sprints for Baffert.
Race 10 (Str-Alw, 8.5f)
Primary - #8 PAT'S SHOES, #5 Mineyourownmalone
Secondary - #2 Carouse, #4 Altito
Comments: Pat’s Shoes exits a clear place finish at Oaklawn and was claimed for $20,000. He finished in the exacta in 7 of 9 Churchill starts and Geroux rides back. Mineyourownmalone cruised by four-plus lengths at Oaklawn on March 25, and he is 3-for-4 at Churchill.
Late Pick 4 Tickets (Total Cost: $38)