My Magic Pick-4 Play on Preakness Day

A $2 million guaranteed Pick-4 pool is offered at Pimlico on Saturday, spanning races 10-through-13 and concluding with the 143rd Preakness Stakes. I will take a shot at it.

Race 10

Maryland Sprint (G3) attracted nine and the race looks logical to start things off. #4 LEWISFIELD (7-2), #5 SWITZERLAND (5-2), #7 LAKI (15-1) and #9 LONG HAUL BAY (2-1) are the most obvious contenders in the cast and one should come out on top in leg 1.

Race 11

The Very One is a five-furlong sprint on the lawn and a tricky one, especially with the pending weather situation. I am assuming this race will remain on the green and am handicapping it so.

My upset selection, #8 BOOS (15-1), makes a seasonal debut for Alan Goldberg and I expect her to thrive on a surface with some give to it. Group-2 placed filly looks to be the value of a nice field.

#1 CHANTELINE (6-1), #3 PRETTY PERFECTION (10-1), #6 JESSICA KRUPNICK (30-1), #7 GIRL KNOWS BEST (3-1) and #11 SMILING CAUSEWAY (7-2) all look like win contenders, too. I will go deep in the second leg.

Race 12

Sir Barton attracts a solid field of 11 going 1 1/16 miles on the main oval. #2 PONY UP (7-2), #6 DREAM BABY DREAM (8-1), #8 AX MAN (8-5) and #11 TITLE READY (5-1) are my preferred runners to get me to the Preakness.

Race 13

#7 JUSTIFY (1-2) will be a single on many a Pick-4 ticket. If the heavy favorite wins, the payout could still be decent if we catch a price or two in the previous races.

But any kind of upset in the Preakness will make this ticket especially rewarding with a few decent results prior to it. I was on #5 GOOD MAGIC (3-1) at Churchill Downs two weeks back and will single the Chad Brown colt to conclude the sequence.

Pick 4 Wager (Races 10-13)

50-cent Pick 4: 4,5,7,9 with 1,3,6,7,8,11 with 2,6,8,11 with 5 = $48