How to bet the Kennedy Road Stakes

An excellent field of 11 will travel six panels on the All-Weather strip at Woodbine in Sunday’s $175,000 Kennedy Road S. (G2). The dash features an outstanding cast of contenders in what is a superb betting endeavor. And in a field lacking a standout, I feel compelled to find value in the feature.

I am intrigued that jockey Patrick Husbands lands on #3 Mason’s Gamble (20-1) and will use that one in many of my wagers for conditioner Josie Carroll. The four-year-old endured a sharp 2021 campaign, and while he has yet to build upon that this season with a 5-1-1-0 mark, the colt has a lot of appeal to me on Sunday moving from the lawn to the main surface.

Mason’s Gamble is 5-for-10 locally and had an excellent prep for this endeavor when missing by a nose in the grassy Overskate S. most recently. A stakes winner on the course in June, the Ontario-bred possesses a versatile running style and figures to sit a good trip close to a sensible early pace.

Michael Trombetta’s #11 Arzak (3-1) is a sterling 3-for-3 at Woodbine and will relish the return to his favored surface in this heat. By Not This Time, the talented four-year-old has gone unplaced in three races in succession but has run well against top competition in each of those endeavors, and the colt will move forward off of the short break on this day, as well. The Kentucky-bred is training forwardly as of late and will be stalking the pace from the early stages beneath Kazushi Kimura.

#5 Candy Overload (4-1) possesses a robust late kick and exits a solid fourth-place finish in the Vigil S. (G3) in his first run for Mark Casse. The Reload gelding was a rallying runner-up in the Bold Venture S. (G3) two back, and with something resembling that performance, the four-year-old bay will be a dangerous commodity inside the final furlong against this group. Sahin Civaci picks up the mount.

Kennedy Road Wagers

$15 win and place: #3 Mason’s Gamble ($30)

$5 exacta key box: 3 with 5,11 ($20)

$.20-cent trifecta: 3,5,11 with 3,5,11 with all ($10.80)