Horse racing continues to take place daily during the coronavirus pandemic, and on Saturday the Tim Yakteen-trained Big Score makes his 2020 debut when he leaves the starting gate in the 2020 Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, Calif. This 6-year-old son of Mr. Big has four wins, four seconds and three thirds in 18 career starts. He last raced in October, finishing fifth in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile. He is the 7-2 morning-line favorite in the Wickerr, a one-mile turf race that drew nine entrants.
The race is the second leg of the late Pick 4, which requires a bettor to pick the winner of four consecutive races. The four-race sequence begins with Race 7 at 8:07 p.m. ET and ends with Race 10. Racing insider Bob Weir has handicapped each of the races in the Pick 4, and with the sequence featuring competitive fields, you'll want to see his horse racing predictions and best bets before building any late Pick 4 tickets at Del Mar for Saturday, July 11.
Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir has been handicapping and following horse racing since reading Andy Beyer's landmark handicapping book "Picking Winners" in the late 1980s. Weir is highly invested in the Beyer Speed Figure, a number assigned to every race run by a horse that measures how fast the horse ran. He uses the figure as the backbone of his handicapping. In fact, thanks to his proficiency with speed figures and top-tier handicapping, he landed one of just eight spots on Beyer's figure-making team in 2017, a position he holds to this day.
Weir's methodology has produced multiple five-figure days. In 2014, he hit a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar. The following year, he nailed a $31,000 Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park. In 2016 and 2017, Weir qualified for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas.
And this year, his first for SportsLine, Weir has been on fire on his horse racing picks. In January he crushed the Pegasus World Cup, giving out an $8 exacta and a $1 trifecta, winning $757.60. He nailed the late Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park on both April 9 and April 10, hitting for $827.65 and $394.65. On June 13 Weir hit a $2 superfecta in the Ogden Phipps Stakes that paid a whopping $1,039. And he hit the late Pick 4 at Belmont Park on June 18, June 19, June 25, July 2 and July 5 with the June 25 score returning a whopping $2,159.50. Those are just some of his hits this year.
Now, Weir has handicapped the late Pick 4 at Del Mar for Saturday, July 11, made his picks and constructed his tickets. Head to SportsLine to see his best bets.
Top Del Mar Pick 4 predictions for July 11
Weir is high on Diva in Charge, the 5-2 favorite in Race 9, the third leg of the Pick 4. This 4-year-old daughter of Will Take Charge is trained by Peter Eurton and ridden by Edwin Maldonado. She has two wins and one third in five career starts.
Both of her wins have come in the last two starts. "Diva in Charge has figured it out, winning her last two with improving Beyer Speed Figures," Weir tells SportsLine.
Weir also is high on Rogallo, the 5-2 favorite in Race 7. This 4-year-old son of Curlin has one win and one second in nine career starts. He is coming off a fifth-place finish on June 5.
On Saturday he makes his first start for trainer Andrew Lerner and drops a level. "That's not the most promising situation, but trainer Andrew Lerner aggressively plays the claiming game, winning at 35 percent first off the claim," Weir said.
How to make Del Mar picks for July 11
In addition, Weir is high on a double-digit long shot on Saturday. Weir says this long shot is "working well" and could light up the toteboard and spice up the Pick 4. He's sharing his Pick 4 grid only at SportsLine.
How has Weir structured his Pick 4 ticket for Saturday? And which double-digit long shot can win at a big price? Visit SportsLine to see Weir's selections for the late Pick 4 at Del Mar on Saturday, and find out.
