Woodbine: How to bet the Canadian and Bison City

The $1 million Queen’s Plate isn’t the only important race taking place on Saturday at Woodbine. The $250,000 Canadian (G2) and $250,000 Bison City S. add further depth to the rich and competitive card.

Hoping to build your budget for the feature event? Let’s take $50 and attempt to triple or quadruple it by betting the undercard stakes races.

Race 8: Bison City S. (4:17 p.m. ET)

She’ll be a short price, but #2 Afleet Katherine (4-5) is clearly the horse to beat in this 1 1/16-mile Tapeta test for 3-year-old fillies. After unleashing strong late rallies to win her first two starts sprinting over the Woodbine turf, she fired off another big effort when switching to Tapeta for the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks. Showing improved tactical speed, Afleet Katherine fought on gamely down the stretch to finish second behind Curlin’s Voyage, one of the favorites for the Queen’s Plate.

With high-percentage jockey Justin Stein in the saddle, Afleet Katherine appears to rank a cut above her Bison City rivals. Let’s single Afleet Katherine to kick off a pair of double tickets.

$22 double: 2 with 10
$8 double: 2 with 3
Total: $30

Race 9: Canadian (G2, 4:51 p.m. ET)

#10 Cambier Parc (6-5) was one of the best 3-year-old turf fillies of 2019, rattling off victories in the Herecomesthebride (G3), Wonder Again (G3), Del Mar Oaks (G1), and Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1). Three of those victories came over 1 1/8 miles, and Cambier Parc will stick to her preferred distance for the Canadian.

Conditioned by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Cambier Parc hasn’t run in 11 months, but she’s been training steadily and Brown strikes at a 30% rate with runners returning from extended layoffs. A versatile filly capable of winning from anywhere in the pack, Cambier Parc should enjoy a clean trip from post 10 under Woodbine’s leading jockey Rafael Hernandez, stamping the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro as a deserving favorite.

If anyone can spring an upset, it’s the 1-mile Nassau (G2) winner #3 Elizabeth Way (4-1), who didn’t get the cleanest run when finishing third in the 1 1/4-mile Dance Smartly (G2) four weeks ago. Trapped behind runners at the top of the stretch, Elizabeth Way didn’t have a fair chance to catch up when the leaders sprinted the final quarter-mile in :22.97. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Way gained slightly through the final furlong and can improve with a clean trip in the Canadian.

Let’s box Cambier Parc and Elizabeth Way in the exacta, favoring the lower-paying combination with Cambier Parc on top.

$13 exacta: 10 with 3
$7 exacta: 3 with 10
Total: $20

Good luck!