How to bet the 2019 Easter weekend stakes at Woodbine

The Woodbine racing season begins this weekend with a pair of stakes race on each day. Saturday will have the Whimsical Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares going six furlongs on the Tapeta main track. It has attracted a field of six. ALNILAH (#1) (8-1) took a while to get through her maiden conditions but then won her first-level allowance condition only three starts later going seven furlongs. Moved up in class again, she won in very fast time going this distance and a repeat of that effort puts her in the mix here. ZESTINA (#2) (6-1) won two Canadian-bred stakes races on the turf last September here then was third on the dirt going long against the same company. She moves up in class while dropping down in distance for Sid Attard. TARAWA (#3) (15-1) is a former cheap claimer who won two allowance races in a row going this distance here then was up the track in a turf sprint stakes race at Tampa Bay Downs. She is fast but has never raced on a synthetic track before. SLY BEAUTY (#4) (9-5) won the Star Shoot Stakes race here going this distance in fast time then raced evenly in two turf sprints. She was an even third going five furlongs from post 1 while stuck in traffic last out and now returns to the main track, moves up to graded company and has the blinkers removed by trainer Mark Casse. SHAKOPEE TOWN (#5) (2-1) makes her Tapeta debut for Kevin Attard, who wins 20 percent with his graded starters. The daughter of Jersey Town ran well on the dirt at Fair Grounds and got ready for this with a fastest-of-100 half-mile breeze last Saturday. MAGIC SPELL (#6) (7-2) broke her maiden here in her career debut and was an even fourth in the Star Shoot. She finished up last year with an off-the-turf win going six furlongs and now takes better. ANALYSIS Short field doesn’t provide much value. Shakopee Town looks to have an edge over these in her Tapeta debut. WAGER Cold Exacta #5 with #1 On Sunday at Woodbine, the $100,000 Star Shoot Stakes will be run for three-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the Tapeta. SPEEDY SOUL (#1) (10-1) rallied from way back to beat Canadian-breds first time out then she came back and won the Muskoka Stakes by four lengths after dropping way back early. She returns off a 235-day layoff for Mark Casse, who wins 17 percent in this spot. MISSMIZZ (#2) (6-1) broke her maiden first time out in a turf sprint at Tampa Bay Downs then beat allowance foes there going two turns. In her stakes debut at Fair Grounds, she raced evenly after a rough start. POWER GAL (#3) (8-1) won the Martha Washington Stakes two starts back at Oaklawn Park going a mile then did nothing there last out when moved up in class. The daughter of Empire Maker tries Tapeta for the first time. MY GAL BETTY (#4) (7-2) began her career in good form but her last two starts on the turf against top company were poor. She did show a liking for the Tapeta in her first two starts here last year going short, which is what she is going in this spot. SISTER PEACOCK (#5) (4-1) broke her maiden by five lengths first time out on the Tapeta against maiden $32,000 claimers then she crushed entry-level allowance foes. Her two starts this year were second-place finishes going a mile on the turf at Gulfstream Park, so she has speed and versatility. SI SI TEQUILA (#6) (8-1) beat first-level allowance foes two starts back then came back here and missed by a neck in the Glorious Song Stakes. She has good speed and can stalk the pace from outside. SPECIAL FOR YOU (#7) (20-1) broke her maiden third time out on a sloppy dirt track going a mile at Fair Grounds. She did little there the next two starts there and, unless she is going to wake up with the switch to Tapeta, she just doesn’t seem to be good enough. KETTLE VALLEY (#8) (20-1) broke her maiden first time out in a turf sprint at Ellis Park then came back almost eight months later with an even third going two turns on the turf at Gulfstream Park. The daughter of City Zip did nothing on the dirt at Keeneland when blinkers were added but they come off for this one. INTANGA ROSE (#9) (3-1) rallied from off the pace to break her maiden first time out here going five furlongs last August then she came back at 2-5 and beat allowance foes here at this distance. Off for 219 days, she returns for Sid Attard with a proven ability to run well fresh. MALIBU DAWN (#10) (20-1) broke her maiden in her Tapeta debut second time out then tired when stretched out in distance against stakes foes. She has raced evenly in her two starts on turf at Gulfstream Park and should be ready for her return to Tapeta. ANALYSIS The Star Shoot is pretty wide open and with the 10-runner field, the betting money should get spread out. I know many horses can go from turf to Tapeta but I like to see some success over the Tapeta here. Itanga Rose won both starts here last year and has trained extremely well at Gulfstream Park and here to be ready. The daughter of Animal Kingdom can sit just off the pace and pounce in the stretch with regular rider Eurico da Silva back aboard. She will be our key. WAGER Win #9 Exacta Box #9 with #1, #4 and #5 PHOTO: Intanga Rose winning on September 14, 2018 at Woodbine (c) WEG/Michael Burns Photography