How to bet the 2021 Bold Venture Stakes

Living legend #4 Pink Lloyd (4-5) leads a field of six for Saturday’s C$150,000 Bold Venture S. (G3) at Woodbine. The defending champ has fallen short in both of his 2021 tries to date, but he has been runner-up on both occasions and rates a huge chance to win this race for a second straight season. The reigning four-time Canadian champion sprinter defeated an arguably better field in the race in 2020, and the chestnut has turned in a pair of strong half-mile drills in advance of Saturday.

The son of Old Forester is a staggering 26-time winner on the all-weather surface at Woodbine, and there are many reasons to like him against this particular cast. Pink Lloyd loves to run from off the pace and deliver his punishing late kick, and in a field with no early pace, the Ontario-bred won’t have as much to do late in order to win. While the Bold Venture is at 6 1/2 furlongs, the race is shaping up like it will be a virtual sprint in the lane to the wire, which benefits the 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year. Trained by Robert Tiller, Pink Lloyd has the best turn of foot in the field and will be rolling home late with Rafael Hernandez in the silks once again.

Conditioner Mark Casse has three of the six in the field, including the potentially overlooked #2 Lookin to Strike (12-1). The six-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky is a very good one-turn synthetic specialist who sports a 7-4-1-0 mark at Woodbine. The gelded bay has run long or on the turf in his last trio of performances, and he will appreciate the cutback in trip on this course on Saturday. Stalker will have Emma-Jayne Wilson in the stirrups, and I think this will be a two-horse race inside the final furlong.

#3 Cash Dividend (5-1) was a sharp allowance winner last time out, following a good fourth in the Vigil S. (G3) on the surface two back. The deep-closing type has solid current form, but I think that he will be overbet, and he won’t make my tickets. And I feel the same way about #5 Lucky Curlin (2-1), who might be better when racing on the turf. Casse pupil was sharp off the shelf in his latest assignment, but I think others will show more in the lane in this heat.

Bold Venture Wagers

• $40 exacta 4 with 2 ($40)
• $10 exacta 2 with 4 ($10)