It’s the biggest day of the year at Woodbine, the gorgeous racetrack in suburban Toronto. The King’s Plate is the headliner, but there are a number of good stakes on the 13-race card, and we’ve selected three of them for some exciting and fun summer Sunday afternoon action. We expect firm turf and a fast synthetic main track, so let’s go.
Woodbine, Race 8, 4:23 pm ET
$125,000 Soaring Free Stakes, 6 ½ furlongs, Turf, 2-Year-Olds
Eleven 2-year-olds line up for the Soaring Free. The pick is 7-Triple Trea, who broke his maiden smartly on the Woodbine lint on June 4, then ran an OK fourth on conventional dirt in the Sanford at Saratoga on July 15. Based on his pedigree and running style, we think he will be good on turf, especially at this 6½ furlong distance, and that makes his 10-1 morning line number too good to pass up. We will bet him to win. The bet: Woodbine, Race 8, $40 to win on 7-Triple Trea.
Woodbine, Race 9, 4:58 pm ET
Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Turf, FIllies & Mares 3 & Up
A field of nine lines up for the Dance Smartly. It will be another good wagering opportunity, primarily for the presence of 8-Moira, who won last year’s Queen’s Plate, and has since burned more money than a sailor on shore leave, losing as the heavy favorite in three of her four subsequent starts. When you see a filly who is likely to be favored in a Grade 2 stakes, despite never having beaten open company – Moira is 4-for-4 in races restricted to her fellow Canadian-breds, and 0-for-5 in graded stakes – there is only one thing to do, and that is bet against her.
The pick is 7-Salimah. She’s a lightly raced 4-year-old filly who has amassed four wins in six career starts, and should move forward in her second start off a layoff, as her last start, a win in a Saratoga allowance race a month ago, was her first in seven months. She has tactical speed, which will be an advantage, as we expect the early pace to be somewhere between moderate and slow. Look for her to sit just behind the early leader (who should be 9-Miss Dracarys), and take control by moving to the front as the field turns into the long Woodbine stretch. We will bet Salimah to win at 3-1. The bet: Woodbine, Race 9, $50 to win on 7-Salimah.
Woodbine, Race 10, 5:39 pm ET
$1,000,000 King’s Plate Stakes, 1 ¼ miles, Synthetic, 3-Year-Olds
The biggest equine event of the year in the Canada, after 70 years of being run as the Queen’s Plate in honor of Elizabeth II, will be run for the first time since 1951 as the King’s Plate. This is the longest continuously run race in North America, going all the way back to 1860, when Canada was still a British colony. There’s a lot of history here, which we’ll embrace, as the field of 17 assembled for the 2023 renewal, restricted to horses bred in Canada, seems a bit subpar .
The pick is the one runner who might turn out to be something: It’s 11-Touch’n Ride, who is light on experience, with just two career starts, but who seems to have a world of ability, and who should thrive at the 10 furlong distance, something that cannot be said of many of his rivals. He’s by top stallion Candy Ride, who produces good runners on any surface, but who is a sneaky good sire of synthetic runners, and whose progeny also tend to excel at classic distances like the mile and a quarter here. That’s enough for us: we will bet Touch’n Ride to win at 12-1. The bet: Woodbine, Race 10, $40 to win on 11-Touch’n Ride.
That’s all for today. Until the next time, enjoy the racing, be safe, and, as always, good luck at the windows.