How to Bet the Fountain of Youth Day All-Stakes Pick 4

The Saturday, March 2 card at Gulfstream Park includes a $750,000-guaranteed all-stakes Pick 4 covering the final four races of the day, including the much-anticipated Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II).

The sequence looks a bit chalky, but I do like one live longshot in the finale, and if the sequence is indeed chalky than we should be able to hit it for a very reasonable sum. In fact, if you want to play my proposed tickets at the minimum $0.50 denomination, it will cost you just $4.50.

I recommend boosting the base denomination to increase the potential payoff, but of course, you can adjust the amounts as necessary to suit your budget. Here’s how I see the sequence unfolding….

Note: Please click on any race name to read a more in-depth preview and find additional wagering strategies.

Race 11: Honey Fox Stakes (gr. III)

#1 Precieuse is a French classic winner who ran well in her U.S. debut last summer for trainer Chad Brown, finishing second by a head against her talented stablemate Uni in the De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga. Precieuse is coming off a long layoff, but Brown wins at a 26% rate with horses returning from breaks of 180 days or more, and I think Precieuse boasts a class edge against this field. She strikes me as a logical single.

Race 12: Davona Dale Stakes (gr. II)

There isn’t much early speed in this seven-horse field, a fact that could give #1 Jaywalk an insurmountable advantage. Last year’s champion two-year-old filly is a tried-and-true front-runner who used her terrific early speed to dominate the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) last fall by a combined margin of 11 ¼ lengths. She’s trained well for her return, and if she breaks sharply from the rail, I envision her securing an easy lead and cruising to another decisive triumph.

Race 13: Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II)

#7 Hidden Scroll, a jaw-dropping 14-length debut winner at Gulfstream on January 26, is my choice to win right back even while stepping up in class and stretching out around two turns. That said, I recognize that he was aided at least to some extent by a sloppy, speed-favoring track in his maiden win, so I’ll also include #5 Vekoma (unbeaten winner of the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes last November) and #4 Bourbon War (a decisive allowance winner at Gulfstream on January 18).

Race 14: Mac Diarmida Stakes (gr. II)

Trainer Mike Maker does fantastic work conditioning long-distance turf runners, so I have to respect the chances of #6 Zulu Alpha and #9 Kulin Rock. The former was a sharp winner of the W. L. McKnight Stakes (gr. III) over this course in January, while Kulin Rocks—a former claimer—is stepping up in class and stretching out in distance after a deceptively good effort in a slow-paced starter allowance race at Gulfstream.

I’ll also include #11 Channel Maker, a Grade 1 winner who endured a tough trip when finishing fifth in the January 26 Pegasus World Cup Turf (gr. I) over a 1 3/16-mile distance that is really shorter than he prefers.

The Play

$5.00 Pick 4: 1 with 1 with 7 with 6,9,11 ($15) $2.50 Pick 4: 1 with 1 with 4,5 with 6,9,11 ($15)

Good luck!