Pick 4 of the Week: Turfway Park Saturday

The Pick 4 of the Week will come from Turfway Park on Saturday, and the sequence will include the feature, the $125,000 Serena’s Song S. 

Race 5 Wager:

$1 Pick 4: 8,11,12 with 2,5,6,9 with 3,5,12 with 7 ($36)

Race 5 – Optional Claiming

An overflow field of 14 has been entered for the ever-challenging opening leg of the play. #8 The Ginger Wizard broke his maiden on the green at 12 panels and will surely handle the distance for trainer Graham Motion. The Irish-bred chestnut makes the trek in from Florida, and I like his chances while he runs on the synthetic for the second time. Vincent Cheminaud will be in the silks. 

Calumet homebred #11 Wind Rider stayed on well late in an allowance event at 1 1/4 miles on the course most recently and has appeal to me for trainer Rusty Arnold. The dark bay son of Honor Code will have Corey Lanerie in the stirrups once again. The Christopher Davis-trained #12 Askari decimated his foes by 12 1/4 lengths in a recent run at the $50,000 claiming level, and a repeat of that performance will make the son of Tapit a major presence in the lane on Saturday beneath Sophie Doyle. 

Race 6 – Serena’s Song S. 

A very good group of 10 sophomore fillies will speed six furlongs in the headliner. Eight of the 10 are coming off wins, and I will use a quartet of contenders in the well-matched cast. Valdale S. queen #2 Hollygrove, two-time stakes vixen #5 Long Neck Paula, impressive maiden winner #6 Bunratty Manor, and Eric Foster’s unbeaten #9 Bilyana will be the four on the ticket for leg two. 

Race 7 – Claiming 

This one-mile claiming contest has a full field in the third segment of the bet. #3 Cowboy Justice is just 2-for-22 lifetime, but the Conor Murphy pupil takes a massive class drop in the race and will also be equipped with blinkers for his all-weather debut. The six-year-old son of Lope de Vega has posted some solid results while facing much better, and his best performance will likely top this group beneath Edgar Morales. 

#5 Mucho Mojo, at 2-for-31 lifetime, is also hard to back with total confidence but I think he’s sitting on a big run third time off the claim. The six-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man ran into a tough group two prior, and the gelding put in a decent late run behind a fine winner at this level most recently. The Jordan Blair charge will have Rafael Hernandez in the irons. #12 Memphis Pharoah was a smart winner while facing similar types on the strip in advance of this one, and brings good form to the field. The Brian Waltz pupil will be in with a winning chance at the top of the stretch beneath Albin Jimenez. 

Race 8 – Claiming

The boys will run 6 1/2 panels in a $5,000 claiming tilt to close out the card, and I will single to close out the play. Mike Maker drops #7 Inflation Nation down from the $30,000 ranks, and I think that he will be too much for this inconsistent cast. The Speightstown five-year-old didn’t show much last time, but he will take a big step forward against these with Morales signed on.