by Bob Pandolfo

Bob Pandolfo offers his picks for the $50,000 Pick-4 at Meadowlands Racetrack on July 17, part of the U.S. Trotting Association Strategic Wagering Program.

Meadowlands Pick-4, Races 7-10, Friday, July 17, 2015

Last Saturday night I played a small ticket and after scratches lost $2.00. Tonight I’m trying a 50 cent whale ticket because it could be a big paying Pick-4.

I’m going to try something different. On some plays, I’m going to use the DRF Ticketmaker to construct the tickets. Basically, the way it works, you rank your picks in each race according to A, B, or C, with A being your best picks. Then you tell Ticketmaker how much you want to spend and it automatically creates a ticket. This is a much different way of playing the Pick-4. Some tickets will be played more heavily than others, and overall it cuts down the cost of the wager.

Championship Meet totals: standard ticket, 16 plays, – $169.50; whale ticket, eight plays, one winning ticket for $53.00, -$144.00; Ticketmaker totals, two plays, -$84.00.

Standard ticket: none
Whale ticket: 50 cent play: 3457/379/347/2568 = $72.00
DRF Ticketmaker tickets: None tonight

Analysis:

Race 7: Wide open trot featuring 2-year-old colts. I’m using all four of my listed contenders.

Race 8: This is another tough race, for pacing mares. I had to keep the costs down so I used three, (9) The Summer Wind, (7) Beach Granny and (3) River Runs Thru It.

Race 9: This is the amateur trot and these have proven to be wide open. I’m using (4) Jacks To Open, who is my top pick. This one has had some tough trips lately but is racing gamely. I also used (7) Current Crisis, a shipper that has some class, and (3) Dream Rocker.

Race 10: This is an interesting trot. I had to use all four of my contenders, 2, 5, 6, 8.