Best Bet – (11) THATSMYKINDAKNIGHT – Race 7
Spot Play – MARAIS – Race 11
Pick 4 Plays of the Day: (.20 cents, Races 4-7): 1, 5, 8, 7, 12 /1, 3, 7, 9, 10 /3, 6, 7, 8 / 11 = $20.00
Late Pick 4 (.20 cents, Races 8-11): 5, 8 / 5, 7, 9 / 2, 4, 5, 12 / 3, 6, 9 = $14.40
Race 1 – Welcome back to Woodbine racing! Hall of Famer Robert Tiller could win the first race of the year with his new claim (7) ZOYSIA, a well bred gal who was dropped in for low claiming by her American interests in her winning Woodbine visit in November. She has some natural speed and good workout times. Note that Tiller takes advantage of the new 'waiver' claiming rule off a layoff and will race her without a claiming price. (2) HOLD THE APPLAUSE is most logical since she has been racing in Florida all winter and shows a record in 2021 of 5-1-2-1. She had to cool her heels into the turn of her latest and lost ground but put in a strong rally to be second. (3) MOKSGMOL won her 2020 opener on the grass but handles the Tapeta surface okay. She has back class and is entered without the claiming tag. (1) NORTHERN RUBY won the first two starts of her career in 2019 and had just one outing last year and that came on turf.
Race 2 – (2) DIVINE MARTHA tries the Tapeta surface for the first time but has been racing in Florida where she won her maiden at this 6 1/2 furlong distance. She has had any number of fast workout times for trainer Billy Tharrenos and she will have to be caught. (8) GEORGIAN DANCER has had only a few starts in each of the last two years and she plunges in class for her new trainer Sid Attard. She fits with this field. (7) GO GIGI GO GIGI GO trained in Ocala, Florida in the winter and would have been closer in her 2020 finale had it not been for traffic trouble. (9) FAIRY won her career debut in 2019 but only raced twice last year. The 2020 leading rider Rafael Hernandez rides for Norm McKnight and this filly was entered without the claiming price.
Race 3- The first grass race of the season has a small field and a pair of fillies from the Mark Casse barn who have been winter raced. (4) DIRECTOR'S CUT was an allowance winner in Florida with a 75 Beyer Speed Figure. Her latest at Churchill Downs wasn't great but the winner came back to win a Grade 3 stakes race ands the fifth place finisher has since come back to win. (1) JUXTAPOSE won on the E.P. Taylor turf course in the fall with a big 82 Beyer Figure and she has worked fast for new trainer Steve Owens. (2) SHE'S A DREAM won her first two tries on grass before a decent fourth place finish in the Wonder Where Stakes. She comes from the powerful Josie Carroll barn. (3) INTHEWINNERSCIRCLE is the second Casse filly and she has been off since February when outrun in a less-than-firm turf.
Race 4– The first Pick 4 begins here with a difficult seven-furlong claiming race and here are some options: (1) PIPESTONE got her maiden victory when she returned to sprinting on the Tapeta in October and she posted a good clocking. (8) BIG CHEEKS had a good winter in Florida as she really took to the dirt track. She has to prove herself on Tapeta. (12) LEAVE IT WITH ME has had some nice workout times in company with good stablemates. (7) SHEDAT did her best stuff on grass last year in her first season of racing. (5) TARA DAWN had more than her share of bad racing luck in her last pair of starts of 2020.
Race 5 –(3) SHOW SOME SKIN makes her 2021 debut and turf debut in this five-furlong dash on the inner turf course. Her sire Souper Speedy rarely has a turf debut winner but the dam has a rich, European grass pedigree. (7) MIASOLOMIAH won her maiden in a short turf race in March but has to avoid an early battle with the very quick Classy n' Silent. (9) EIGHT SPEED is a half sister to four grass winners and trainer Vito Armata has a 50% win rate with long layoff types in the last two years. (10) THE GOOD WITCH gets blinkers and a class drop for her opener and she likes a turf sprint.
Race 6- (3) RI N GINGER is a first time starter debuting for just $7,500 claiming and both her sire Lookin At Lucky and stakes winning half brother Muskoka Wonder won first time out. She has worked at a distance longer than this five furlongs twice since last fall. (6) QUEEN LICIA does not race for the claiming price following some very sharp workout times and she just missed in her 2020 finale. (7) PESARO broke like a bullet in her lone Woodbine outing in 2020 before tiring and then getting squeezed out. (8) SOX AND SANDALS gets a big class drop for her three-year-old debut and has many winning siblings.
Race 7 – A Pick 5 wager begins here and (11) THATSMYKINDAKNIGHT will be a strong favourite for trainer Phil Hall based on her pair of runner-up placings to end 2020. She is a four-year-old maiden meeting some younger gals. (6) ROYAL CITY REIGN put in a nice little late bid and was out well in her career debut Nov. 6. She gets lasix, a bit more distance and has a sharp layoff trainer. (8) OUTCLASS is a half sister to six winners and she was working last spring in Kentucky and recently purchased for $4,500. (7) MUSICALLY INCLINED chased a fast stablemate throughout a short turf maiden race in November and held third place.
Race 8 – The late Pick 4 begins with a one-mile turf maiden allowance and (5) SPEIGHTSTOWN SHIRL will be odds-on based on her two narrow losses in Kentucky for trainer Roger Attfield. In her latest she could not get past a tough front runner and in her 2021 opener she led late and was caught. Attfield also has the stretch-running (8) CONFIDENT in this race and she should like the long stretch run based o her style of running. (6) BEQUIA had a nice debut on the grass Oct. 3 and this is half sister to the very good turf stakes winner Surtsey. (4) ASTROLOGICAL was a $350,000 yearling purchase and is an Ontario bred by top sire Malibu Moon and a half sister to Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon , also a grass stakes winner.
Race 9 – (5) ANOTHER TIME holds the course record for 7 1/2 furlongs on the inner turf and she set that mark last June 6 off a short layoff. She ends a vacation and has had good workout times. (9) FIDUCIARY, a $56,000 purchase at the December Mare Sale at Tattersalls, has worked strongly for trainer Josie Carroll for her North American debut. She gets Lasix and note she won first time out in 2020 in a seven-furlong turf race. (7) AFLEET KATHERINE is very dangerous in her return to the grass off the winter layoff. She won her first two career starts on turf and then slugged it out in the top races for fillies the remainder of the year. (1) ROMAN D'ORO won on the Woodbine outer turf last year and had late runs in short dashes in Florida this winter.
Race 10 – (12) CARELESS HEIRESS should be all set for her maiden win in this return to the Tapeta. She raced in Florida this winter and ran well enough in her last two outings in March and April to be a top player. Trainer Attfield will take the blinkers off and Hernandez rides. (5) ORBALINE had just a single outing as a juvenile in 2020, almost exactly one year ago. She has been given lots of time and this seven furlong distance will work well for this daughter of Orb. (4) GAMBLE'S SILVER picked up a purse share in all four of her races last year. The Josie Carroll trainee is first time with Lasix and has had plenty of preparation (2) OSTRACIZE came close to winning her maiden in New Orleans on turf, the surface on which she has raced all but one time. She has had quite a few chances but this is her first race for maiden claiming at Woodbine.
Race 11 – (3) MARAIS was a private purchase from the Mark Casse stable late last year and she ended that first, brief season of racing with a solid, second-place finish. This is an impeccably-bred four-year-old who has worked in smart clockings and trainer Don Pleterski has lured jockey Patrick Husbands. (6) BORN TO BE GOOD added blinkers for her final start of 2020 and was getting closer to the leader, and eventual winner, with every stride. She is due to break through. (9) SIMPLE SOUVENIR was second a maiden race at this class level in October and she rates inclusion in trifectas. (8) NAITAKA has also been noticeable in the last couple of months by her workout times. She is a likely pace factor with blinkers added. Also consider (5) SHES ASTYLISH KATZ who has worked quickly for her debut for trainer Rodney Barrow. Her sire has had two debut winners from just 10 starters.
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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 simulcast host for Ajax Downs.
Photo by Mr. Will Wong
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