Best Bet – (4) BETTER BOOGIE – Race 4
Spot Play - (5) DOLLY STORMY – Race 3
Pick 4 (.20 cents, Races 4-7) : 2, 3, 4, 5 / 3, 8/ 3, 6, 10 / 7, 8 = $9.80
Race 1 – There is very little early pace in this route race for maidens so (5) METADATA has a good chance to be prominent all the way in this fourth outing of the season. He switches back to Woodbine Tapeta after a recent 2-turn turf run at Fort Erie and a fast recent workout, plus Beyer Figures in the 50s, make him very solid. (7) BREAD CRUMBS should be able to follow along for a high placing as he drops in class and stretches out in distance.(6) MARITIME MAGIC plunges in class from $40,000 maidens and tries Tapeta and 2 turns for the first time. (8) I HAVE HOPE tries the Tapeta surface for the first time and drops one more class level for his second try at Woodbine.
Race 2- (9) DANCE ALONG DEDE is making her second start of the season and dropping in class from her return on this inner turf course. She won her maiden on this course last year and Stein, who rides her today, was on board for that score. (5) FINEST JEWEL set the pace and finished just ahead of the top pick in that July 11 inner turf race and she has come back to work in good time. (6) BENEVIDA rarely runs a bad one and she beat both the top 2 picks in their latest meeting. (1) CAROLINA GRACE raced just one week ago and she did well to be in the top three in that Tapeta sprint, She handles the grass okay.
Race 3- (5) DOLLY STORMY won big when fresh last May but this year she began her season in a turf dash that was too fast for her., She drops and is a wake up possibility. (6) MY CANTATA is one of several aging mares in the field but she was a good 2
nd in her latest for $9,500 claiming and is now back down to $7,000. She has tactical speed while many of her rivals are closing types. (4) HASSAH makes her third start off the layoff and drops and moves to Tapeta and she has 5 top three placings in 6 tries on the surface. (8) ORBITING THE SKY is unbeaten in 3 races at 3 different tracks including Woodbine where she won over non-winners of 3 July 9.
Race 4- The Pick 4 begins her with a maiden race scheduled for the E.P. Taylor turf. (4) BETTER BOOGIE looks good on turf or on the Tapeta since he was a close second in his latest on turf that went in quick time. The third place finisher has come back with a good race and was placed first. 'Boogie' has worked quickly since then. (2) LAST SENSATION was well bet for his debut outing on turf but he had some traffic trouble, He was overwhelmed on Tapeta last time by a fast winner who has come back to win again, (3) WAVE BABY is learning quickly as he was second in his turf debut and had Last Sensation just behind him. (5) STERLING ICE had a pleasing debut outing in a turf sprint but might have found 5 furlongs on Tapeta too short for him last time.
Race 5 – (3) PRICELESS WILL now has four second-place finishes in his five races but his season debut was a good one. The winner was long gone in fast time and that guy has come back to win big again. This guy was 6 lengths clear of the third-place finisher. (8) SPEEDY MOONLITE is well named as he mixed it up in a hectic pace battle first time out June 28 and held second spot and the third horse has come back to win his maiden, (5) MR WILL had a nice debut outing as he did a lot of work on the pace and worked hard to keep second place. (9) IMPRESSIVE SPEED tried to out-battle the nice prospect Red Hierarchy last time but got tired from that battle. That winner has come back to win big again.
Race 6 – (3) WHISKEY VICTOR came off a 6 month layoff for his Woodbine debut and first start for trainer Norm McKnight and he led for a long time in a two-turn inner turf race. This $500,000 yearling purchase drops down to just $23,500 claiming and shortens up for a one-turn turf sprint. (10) LYRICAL NOTE has had a lot of workouts since his solid return outing and he likes turf and will benefit from a hot pace up front. (6) SANDY BAY won big off the 1 1/2 year layoff July 12, winning his maiden on the pace in a Tapeta sprint. He should handle grass but this is a tougher situation. (8) HURRICANE DANCER was up in time to win his Woodbine debut in his first start for his third trainer Gail Cox. He is bred for turf although he has not conquered the surface yet.
Race 7 – (8) HARD N'SWEET is a newcomer to the Woodbine circuit for Triple K Stables and trainer Mike Wright. A winner on dirt last time at Tampa with a 77 Beyer Figure, he ran well in his grass debut. He is well spotted for his first race since April. (7) NATIVE PRINCE missed by a nose in his season debut on the inner turf course. He has yet to cross the finish line in front but that should come soon. (3) MEYER makes his grass debut and his sire was undefeated on turf. This is a stakes placed juvenile from last year. ( 6) FREE SPEECH has some grass breeding and he drops to claiming and should be a pace threat.
Race 8 – (10) HELLO FRIENDS is the most logical in this maiden turf sprint based on her runner-up placing in a similar race June 27. (9) ROLLING SLOAN is by a good grass sire in Silent Name (Jpn) and she improved second time out. (5) GLAMOUROUS GIRL is by a sire who loved grass and her dam's sire is a good grass sire. She gets Lasix and can rebound from her latest. (12) ELEANOR POWELL is getting the hang of things and she had a fast recent workout for 5 furlongs July 29. She has some grass breeding. Also consider (13) LETTER ROLL if she draws is as she had a slow start first time out.
Photo by Mr. Will Wong
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Jennifer Morrison has been a public handicapper for the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail and Daily Racing Form. She is currently a writer for CanadianThoroughbred.com, Blood-Horse and Toronto Star and is the simulcast handicapper for Ajax Downs.
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