Horse Racing – Calder Summit of Speed Pick 4

Race-day: 7/11/2009

First-Race: 3:25 pm est.

Calder Racecourse showcases sprinters this Saturday with their Summit of Speed card at the Florida track.

Some heavy hitters from both the east and west coasts will join some local horses for the Summit of Speed. It figures to a great day for horseplayers to find overlays in the BetOnline online racebook.

The most interesting wager is a Pick 4 that begins with Race 7 and ends with Race 10 on Calder’s Saturday card. I’ve devised a somewhat cheaper ticket than usual which should allow me to play it a higher cost.

Let’s take a look at my Pick 4 ticket for Calder’s Summit of Speed.

Calder Racecourse – - Pick 4

Race 7 – 10

Race 7 – - Grade III Azalea Stakes

Horses: #3 Royal Card, #7 Kays and Jays, #9 Passage

Analysis: The chalk in this, first time out winner Underground, is a front runner in a field laden with front-runners. Underground also doesn’t have the experience that the others in this field have. Royal Card figures to lay right off of Underground before trying to overtake that one in the stretch. The daughter of Chapel Royal is 2 for 2 on the Calder track. Kays and Jays is a front runner that could stalk some depending on the pace. She gets an outside draw which means she can react to what’s going on inside of her. Passage is a 1.2 million buy out of Giant’s Causeway. She doesn’t appear to be as fast as these, but she is a closer in a field full of speed.

Race 8 – - Grade II Carryback Stakes

Horses: #3 Truest Legend

Analysis: This is only a 6 horse field and there doesn’t appear to be a lot of front running speed. That means that Truest Legend, the fastest thing I’ve seen out here on the west coast in a long time, should get the job done. Truest Legend is stepping up in class, but he’s amazingly fast and has improved in each of his three races. He’s a good single.

Race 9 – - Grade I Princess Rooney Stakes

Horses: #1 Jessica Is Back, #4 B.R.’s Girl, #6 Game Face, #8 Dubai Majesty, #9 Marina Ballerina

Analysis: When you have two singles in a Pick 4 sequence, you can afford to spread in one of those races. The race that I’m spreading in is Race 9. I’m using five of the 9 entrants in this race in the Pick 4 and not a single one of the 5 is named Indian Blessing. Indian Blessing was awful her first time back from Dubai. I’m not sure she returns to form in this race and even if she does, she’ll have to face the first three finishers of the U Can Do It $75,000 stakes race that was run at Calder on June 13th. Marina Ballerina, who is undefeated at Calder, finished first. Jessica Is Back, running second time for 34% winning trainer Martin Wolfson, finished 2nd, and B.R.’s Girl finished 3rd. All three gals are Calder specialists. After those three, I like Game Face who uncharacteristically awful in her last race, the Grade II Vagrancy Handicap. She has a chance to bounce back for trainer Todd Pletcher. Then, there’s the Brett Calhoun trained Dubai Majesty who could either lay off the speed a length or two or just go for the lead right out of the gate.

Race 10 – - Grade II Smile Sprint Handicap

Horses: #4 Benny The Bull

Analysis: The multiple Grade I winning Benny The Bull should have no trouble dispatching of his rivals in this Grade II event. Benny is just way, way better then anyone else in this field. He won’t have to close from the clouds in this and there are no Fabulous Strikes or Midnight Lute’s in here. He’s as close to a lock as you’re ever going to find in horse racing.