The difficulty of whittling down a Pick Four ticket can be very difficult to do when the first three races are evenly matched Grade 1 events.

That’s the case in the late Pick 4 Saturday at Keeneland, and in your approach to the sequence, you at some point need to pick a place where you can cut down your numbers. On Saturday’s card, that happens in the last race – the only one in the Pick 4 that isn’t a stakes event – and the horse we hook our cart to is a first-time starter.

On a day when the First Lady, the Breeders’ Futurity and the Shadwell Turf Mile deservedly get the attention, it could be the 10th race and a morning whirlwind to complete the job on this ticket.

Trainer Mark Casse picked today as the day for the career bow for Curlin’s Honor, who was a purchased for $1.5 million by Breeze Early LLC and John Oxley. The chestnut colt has probably caused some whiplash for those have monitoring his works. Since late June, Curlin’s Honor has logged a series of drills that that stamped him as a special kind of colt. Casse and Leparoux (who will ride this one) combined for a stunningly easy win with Debby Oxley’s Heavenly Love in the G1 Alcibiades. Casse also ran third in the race with Dancing. This Curlin colt is a son of Franscat, who has had seven winners from seven starts and has had a pair of stakes winner. 

The Grade 1 races are where this ticket is spreading out, showing four in each race. 

Here’s the suggested Pick 4 ticket:

Race 7: #3 Dona Bruja, #4 Roca Rojo, #6 Dickinson, #7 Hawksmoor. (3-4-6-7)

Race 8: #4 Ten City, #7 Givemeaminit, #8 Bourbon Resolution, #9 Free Drop Billy. (4-7-8-9).

Race 9: #6 Ballagh Rocks, #7 Mondialiste, #8 Miss Temple City, #10 Heart to Heart. (6-7-8-10).

Race 10: #9 Curlin’s Honor. (9).

50-cent Pick 4: 3-4-6-7 with 4-7-8-9 with 6-7-8-10 with 9. ($32).