Stakes spot plays for Woodbine Oaks Day

Woodbine. (Photo by Michael Burns Photo)

Five stakes races are on the agenda for Saturday at Woodbine, led by the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, a prestigious event for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

The Woodbine Oaks serves as the final leg of a competitive all-stakes Pick 3 with the potential to produce a lucrative payoff.

Let’s tackle this enticing sequence and place a few other spot plays along the way.

Race 8: Plate Trial (4:47 p.m. ET)

#3 Clayton (4-5) dominated a 1 1/16-mile allowance over the Woodbine Polytrack last month, and #4 Halo Again (9-5) is 2-for-2 in stakes over the local oval.

Both of these talented colts bring competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the equation for trainers Kevin Attard and Steve Asmussen, and a 1-2 finish will be widely expected.

But #2 Dotted Line (12-1) is an intriguing alternative. He has run just as fast as the favorites and enters the Plate Trial off a game, third-place finish, behind potential superstar Shirl’s Speight, in the 1 1/16-mile Marine (G3) at Woodbine. A drop down the class ladder to face fellow Canadian-breds can place Dotted Line in the hunt for victory at a big price.

Let’s bet Dotted Line to win and play him with Clayton and Halo Again in a series of exacta, double, and Pick 3 wagers.

$10 to win on #2 Dotted Line
$2 exacta: 2 with 3,4 ($4)
$6 exacta: 3,4 with 2 ($12)
$5 double: 2,3,4 with 8 ($15)
$3 Pick 3: 2,3,4 with 8 with 1 ($9)
Total: $50

Race 9: King Edward (G2, 5:22 p.m. ET)

#5 Silent Poet (9-5) is the morning-line favorite, after he battled to victory in the 7-furlong Connaught Cup (G2) at Woodbine last month, but the 1-mile trip of the King Edward might push the limits of his stamina.

The distance should be perfect for #8 Delaware (5-2), a Juddmonte Farms homebred who nabbed the 1-mile Prix Daphnis (G3) in France last summer. A son of superstar miler Frankel, Delaware enters off a game, runner-up effort in a 7-furlong allowance at Belmont Park and should appreciate the stretch out in distance for trainer Chad Brown, who has gone 6-for-22 (27%) in turf routes at Woodbine since 2017.

$20 to win on #8 Delaware
$10 double: 8 with 1
Total: $30

Race 10: Woodbine Oaks (5:57 p.m. ET)

#1 Curlin’s Voyage (3-1) is 4-for-8 over the Woodbine Polytrack and won the 1 1/16-mile Ontario Lassie S. against fellow Canadian-breds in December. Trained Josie Carroll, Curlin’s Voyage enters off a late-running score in the 7-furlong Fury S. at Woodbine and figures to improve on the stretch out to 1 1/8 miles in her third start of the season.