The Warren’s Knockout race was the toughest for me and this type of state bred affair is always challenging. I frequently like to play horses not offered for a tag in Optional Claiming races. His trainer was 1-for-17 and he was running this one below his 32k purchase price. The horse had lost 9 straight and jockey Alex Bisono is hardly a high percentage play in the long run but is having a decent meet with limited opportunities.

I do not like lumping all of my contenders on one big ticket because every horse does not have the same chance to win. I could go even further and use the Steven Crist A-B-C method and have utilized that before but I am happy with the current Primary/Secondary strategy. I cut the cost from more than $4k to less than $400 by keying the horses that I like most.

I actually rarely single a horse on Pick 6 blog. I keyed Miss Communication because she was the most likely winner on paper and if I was still alive in the finale I would have happily taken my chances with her. The post did not bother me because only 3 races were conducted at 9f on turf at Del Mar and that is not a big enough sample to use post position as a serious handicapping factor. It was the 9f distance that bothered me most and that was ultimately her undoing.

Not many players have $4k or more to play the Pick 6. I try to give them a smart, cost effective strategy. Play smart, bet less, and win more has always been my philosophy.