How to bet the 3-year-old stakes at Woodbine on Saturday

A pair of stakes races for sophomores will highlight an excellent 11-race card north of the border at Woodbine on Saturday.

Woodstock

The boys will contest the 6-furlong event, with a field of eight going postward. Morning-line favorite #7 Untitled (5-2) is the class of the field for Mark Casse. Bay son of Khozan has run some huge races in his career up to this point, and he also fired a bullet half-mile drill most recently. But he has yet to race on a synthetic oval, so I will take a shot against him in the Woodstock.

The Kevin Attard-conditioned #4 Clayton (3-1) was super impressive on the course when drawing off to a convincing score in November. A $50,000 yearling purchase, the son of Bodemeister was favored on debut and showed why, powering home a 7 1/2-length winner under mild urging. Ontario-bred shows four solid morning drills on the oval in preparation for his stakes debut, and he could be a really good one if he moves forward off his fine first offering.

Wager:

• $30 Win #4 Clayton ($30)

Star Shoot

A field of 10 sophomore fillies will go 6 furlongs in the Star Shoot. I like a pair of runners in the field, including Wesley Ward’s #2 Owlette (3-1). Fleet Frac Daddy filly left a fine impression at this venue in 2019 with three wins, including two of the stakes variety, and she capped her juvenile season with a solid second in the South Ocean S. going two turns. Ontario-bred bay comes in fresh and gets back to sprinting. She could be lone speed if she runs to the bullet drill in advance of her return.

#8 Coach Lori (10-1) was impressive when going last-to-first on the turf on debut for Mark Casse. Cairo Prince filly came home swiftly following a slow break on that day, and she appears to be sitting on a big effort with strong morning drills in the interim. Emma-Jayne Wilson picks up the mount atop the Brereton Jones homebred. She merits a win play at a healthy morning-line number.

Wagers:

• $15 Win #8 Coach Lori ($15)
• $1 Trifecta 2,8 with 2,8 with all ($16)