Pick 4 of the Week: Ellis Park Sunday, August 9

A total of six black-type races will highlight a fantastic card at Ellis Park on Sunday. 

Race 4 Wager

50-cent Pick 4: 2,4,5,6,7 with 1,2,5 with 6,8 with 4,5 ($30)

Race 4 – Juvenile S. 

Two-year-old males will travel seven-eighths on the dirt in a difficult first leg of the sequence. I’ll spread with a majority of the field to get through the race with #2 Sargent Bilko (9-2), #4 Grand Yaupon (5-2), #5 Bearamour (6-1), #6 Salahudin (2-1), and #7 Never a Doubt (4-1). 

Race 5 – Groupie Doll S. 

Fillies and mares will go a one-turn mile on the main surface in the second piece of the play. Bob Baffert’s #2 Cash Call (9-5) was a stakes second sprinting on the oval last time and will get more ground for her third run off the shelf in this spot. The McKinzie filly was a Grade 3 winner in her lone route try to date and will have Florent Geroux in the silks. 

#5 Five a Side (3-1) has been in consistently good form and exits a stakes third behind a pair of good ones in her latest endeavor. The Spun to Run filly will have Jaime Torres in the silks. #1 Queen Azteca (7-2) is the pace of the race from the rail and can be good on her best day. The Brisset pupil will be the one to catch with Christian Torres signed on. 

Race 6 – Debutante S. 

A dirt dash at seven panels for juvenile fillies attracted a field of eight. The Brian Lynch-trained #6 Manuka Honey (9-5) was very sharp at first asking at Churchill Downs on June 20 and appears to have a very bright future. The March foal will be formidable with improvement off of her debut with Luis Saez in to retain the ride. 

If the top pick fails to fire, #8 Glory Run (3-1) will have the best chance for the upset. The John Ennis pupil is two-for-two to kickstart her career and has a nice draw on the outside of the sprint cast. 

Race 7 – Ellis Park Derby

Six sophomores will vie in the most lucrative race on the stakes-filled card. #4 Igniter (3-1) is the potential pace of the race and worth using in this spot for Richard Dutrow. The Volatile colt ran into a big horse last time and graduated in his lone run at one mile. 

Baffert’s Grade 3 winner #5 Plutarch (2-1) will make his first appearance since taking the Robert B. Lewis (G3) in the spring. The Into Mischief colt could show rust and will be heavily backed at the windows, but he’s a must-use, nonetheless, with Geroux on board.