How to bet the Woodbine Oaks

The most lucrative of the four major stakes races at Woodbine on Saturday is the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. An overflow field of 15 three-year-old fillies are signed on for the affair, and this surely has the look of a wide-open contest that could yield a healthy return. A few of my leading selections were assigned wide posts that might compromise them in the 1 1/8-mile race, so I’ll key my wagers with a contender with a more favorable starting point. 

Woodbine Oaks Wagers

• $15 win and place #4 Kin’s Concerto ($30)
• $5 exacta key box 4 with 10,11,12 ($30)

I feel that both of the Josie Carroll trainees in the field are live, including #4 Kin’s Concerto. The chestnut daughter of Mendelssohn has displayed a fine turn of foot in each of her assignments for the most part, and she earned a hefty 102 Brisnet Late Pace figure in her route debut last time out. The Ontario-bred chestnut could peak in her third try off the shelf, and I expect repeat pilot Sofia Vives to have this one hugging the rail on the backside prior to getting her in the clear in the lane. The Chiefswood homebred has major top-two appeal to me. 

A trio of runners will be included with my top pick for the exotics. #10 Caitlinhergrtness flashed good potential on the dirt prior to being moved to the Kevin Attard shedrow, and the Omaha Beach filly romped in a turf allowance at this venue in an initial try for this outfit. The chestnut filly has never run this far, but she was full of energy late last time out, and I think that she will be capable at nine panels with a good voyage. The filly has good early speed and will be prominent throughout beneath Rafael Hernandez. 

Attard’s #11 War Painter capped 2023 with a close second in the Princess Elizabeth S. on the surface, and she has run a pair of good ones this season leading up to Saturday. The $30,000 yearling purchase is versatile and can fire from anywhere on the oval under Emma-Jayne Wilson. 

Carroll’s #12 A Little Frisky, winner of the Glorious Song S. as a juvenile, is intriguing while making a third run of 2024. The chestnut daughter of Army Mule will go off at a nice price with Justin Stein inheriting the mount.