Frank Cotolo offers his picks for the $20,000 Pick-4 at Balmoral Park on Saturday, Jan. 26, part of the USTA Strategic Wagering Program.

Balmoral Park Pick-4, Races 10-13, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013

We began last week with a single, Allamerican Solo, worth $16.80. A couple of seconds and thirds later and it was Monday morning, leaving us up $2.80 from Pick-4s and win bets. Things will go this way, back and forth and with minor numbers, until a blast of dough if we crack a big combo. It is almost a feast-or-famine situation but worthy of the grind if you are not sitting on a big bankroll. You have to demand certain outcomes in this game, as we see it, and disarm your desire to hit for the sake of hitting. Our strategy is all about survival and striking gold, which is why we play wins and the Pick-4s. Since this game makes no promises of success, we refuse to let it destroy us quickly, which is a tactic that keeps us alive until we get the lot we want.

$2 play: 4/1/17/1 = $4

Analysis:

Race 10: (4) Voomerang’s return to Crete resulted in being short, perhaps due to getting off the half-mile at Maywood and adjusting back to the two turns? In any event, the Cole Muffler gelding has a lot to offer, has won here before, and faces a strongly possible false favorite.

Race 11: (1) Elkhorn Damien gets another shot for us because his last race was semi-productive from a poor perspective with traffic after a slow start. He has worked enough in this class after stepping up to be able to give his best, which appears to be as good if not better than the rest of these mugs.

Race 12: (1) Yanoyanomenow comes back from Chicago with a horrid trip there that left him third with two others right there at the wire. That was a positive jump up in class after a strong win and he may let loose here from the inside and swallow this group. However, (7) Major Degree will be ignored by the public once again and that may be the ruin of our other choice and the public because the gelding has a huge brush that can be his own worst enemy but could also be the key to winning one, like this, at quite a price.

Race 13: (1) Nitrogen Fuse will be lighted again from the inside and although the son of the very fast colt and productive sire Always A Virgin seems to dislike getting involved in a race early, don’t be surprised in a change of tactics where he leaves sharply, at least to get a good spot. You don’t want to bury this guy early, even though he seems to be bred to catch up rapidly (a Magical Mike mare is a plus and he is still only a sophomore).