Woodbine Racetrack | Horse Racing Free Tips

Ladies Loom Large in Queen’s Plate

A pair of fillies, including Canada’s reigning champion 2-year-old filly Curlin’s Voyage (Curlin), will take aim at 13 sophomore colts in Saturday’s $1-million Queen’s Plate S., historically the first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown. The winner of the Aug. 15 Woodbine Oaks, the Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine and Windsor Boys Racing-owned filly is trained by Josie Carroll, who previously won the 10-furlong Classic with another filly–Inglorious in 2011–and with Edenwold in 2006. In this renewal, Carroll will also saddle Belichick (Lemon Drop Kid) and Mighty Heart (Dramedy).

“We’ve always thought very highly of her after her 2-year-old debut,” said Carroll of Curlin’s Voyage, who won last season’s GIII Mazarine S. and Ontario Lassie S. against Ontario bred fillies. “She’s a very uncomplicated filly and does everything you ask of her.”

Prior to her Oaks victory, Curlin’s Voyage won the seven-furlong Fury S. July 5. and finished runner- up in the June 13 Star Shoot S.

Also representing the fairer sex in the Queen’s Plate, Merveilleux (Paynter), runner up in both the restricted Princess Elizabeth S. and Ontario Lassie S. last season, kicked off 2020 with an allowance score at Woodbine June 21 before finishing fourth in the GIII Selene S. July 25. Most recently, she finished a troubled third in the Woodbine Oaks.

“Honestly, I just think she’s just been a very unfortunate horse this year, racing luck wise,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “Things haven’t quite gone her way. I had high expectations for her in the Oaks. She showed a lot of talent at two and we were really excited to have her. With her, we considered the Plate right from the get-go. The mile and a quarter distance is not going to be an issue for her.

He continued, “She’s just one horse that you’re hoping on that day everything goes right for her and she finally gets a clear run, no obstacles, no hurdles–that way she can prove whether she’s good enough or not and there’s no excuses. She’s doing very well and I’m quite please with her.”

Attard also saddles morningline favorite Clayton (Bodemeister). Campaigned by Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe, the colt is a winner of three of four lifetime starts, including his latest in a Woodbine optional claimer July 18 followed by the nine-furlong Plate Trial S. Aug. 15.

“He’s been special from the get-go,” said Attard. “He was an impressive maiden winner, so once that happened, the bell starts ringing in your head, and you’re saying, ‘Hey, maybe I’ve got a good 3-year-old here.’ He followed it up with a good race first time out this year–didn’t win but had traffic trouble–and I think he learned a lot. That was encouraging. Obviously, he’s won his last two since then and stretched out. He’s doing everything you want him to. Hopefully, he just needs to get a little bit better one more time and maybe he can put everything together.”

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Jockey Justin Stein Rides Six Winners Friday At Woodbine

The hot-handed Justin Stein was a force to be reckoned with on Friday at Woodbine Racetrack, winning six races during the afternoon program.

Stein, who had eight mounts on the nine-race card, started his winning crusade in the second race by reeling off four consecutive victories in rein to San Nicola Brew ($14.60) for trainer Sarah Ritchie, Bala Falls ($6.30) for Elizabeth Elder, Interesting Times ($10.50) for Tim Rycroft and Make No Mistake ($5.90) for Zeljko Krcmar.

The multiple graded stakes-winning jockey later went back-to-back winning the seventh and eighth races to cap off his six-win performance aboard the Sylvain Pion-trained Power House ($11.10) and Sam Di Pasquale's Piccadilly Beau ($6.90).

Stein is the first jockey to record six wins on a single card at the 2020 Woodbine meet. Recently, Eurico Rosa Da Silva accomplished the feat three times in 2019. Prior to that, Luis Contreras won six races on two occasions (2011 and 2013).

Stein, who returned to action in 2019 after a short-lived retirement, won 52 races ranking seventh in the Woodbine jockey standing last year and is currently the second-leading jockey with 56 wins so far at the 2020 Woodbine meet.

The 40-year-old reinsman, whose career highlights include a victory in the 2012 Queen's Plate in rein to Strait of Dover, has won more than 1,100 races lifetime.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine on Saturday, featuring the $100,000 Eternal Search Stakes. First race post time is set for 1 p.m.

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: An Inspirational Choice At Keeneland

When Shannon Bishop Arvin begins her tenure on Jan. 1, 2021, as president of the Keeneland Association, she will be the first female to hold that position and one of the most powerful women in the Thoroughbred industry by virtue of the Lexington, Ky., racetrack and auction company's history as a leader and innovator.

Arvin, whose father and grandfather held important positions at Keeneland, was interviewed recently by Paulick Report editor-in-chief Natalie Voss. She did not step back from the realization that her selection as Keeneland president can serve as an inspiration to other women throughout the industry. “It's not lost on me,” she said, “and I hope it does let women know that if you just get up every day and keep after it and be persistent, anything is possible.”

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, publisher Ray Paulick and Voss discuss the appointment of Arvin as Keeneland president and what her focus may be after she takes the reins of power.

They also review wagering data for American racing that suggests how – in this year of the coronavirus pandemic – the shift from on-track or OTB bets to advance-deposit wagering has not been a boon to purse money.

Watch the Friday Show below.

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NYRA To Host Cross Country Pick 5 With Woodbine On Travers Day At Saratoga

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 with graded stakes action from historic Saratoga Race Course as well as three races from Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday, Runhappy Travers Day.

Live coverage of all the sequence's races will be available with Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Woodbine will start the sequence in Race 8 with a full field of fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going six furlongs on the main track in Race 8 at 4:49 p.m. Eastern. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will see Roman d'Oro, who ran fifth in the Grade 3 Mazarine in October at the Rexdale, Ontario-based track, break from post 2. Trainer Kevin Attard will send out Princess Fabiana from the inside post.

The stakes action will start at the Spa when six fillies and mares compete in the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya for older fillies and mares going 1 ½ miles on the inner turf in Race 9 at 5:02 p.m. Fools Gold will look to defend her title in the turf marathon and become the first repeat Waya winner since Source in 1993-94. The Chad Brown trainee will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano from the outside post. Her stablemate, the French-bred My Sister Nat, earned North American graded stakes black type in her last two efforts when finishing a close second in the Grade 3 Long Island on November 30 at Aqueduct and the Grade 2 New York in June at Belmont Park.

Action returns to Woodbine in Race 9 at 5:22 p.m. when 10 3-year-olds and up compete in a 7 ½-furlong inner turf challenge. Federal Law, who won the Queenston last year at Woodbine, will be sent out by Casse. Florida Won, condition by Martin Drexler, has ran second in two of his last three starts.

Race 10 at Woodbine, a 5 ½-furlong maiden sprint set to go off at 5:56 p.m., will see Marjorie's Dream, who ran a competitive second last out on July 12 going 6 ½ furlongs at Woodbine, break from post 3 for trainer Randy Thompson. The 12-full horse field also includes Trading Bay, who was third in his debut on November 16 at Woodbine.

The concluding leg will be the 151st running of the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers for some of the country's top 3-year-olds at the Spa in Race 11 at 6:15 p.m. on FOX.

A talented eight-horse field is highlighted by morning-line even-money favorite Tiz the Law, the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-winner for trainer Barclay Tagg and to be ridden by Manny Franco. Tiz the Law, who drew post 6, is the leader on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard and will look to add more points as the Travers will award 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top-four finishers. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will send Uncle Chuck, 2-for-2 in his career, into the Travers, breaking from post 3 with Luis Saez aboard. Max Player, the third-place finisher in the Belmont Stakes conditioned by Linda Rice, drew post 4. Others in the field for the 1 1/4-mile Runhappy Travers include Country Grammer, Shivaree, South Bend, Caracaro and First Line.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, August 8:
Leg 1 – Woodbine, Race 8: (4:49 p.m.)
Leg 2 – Saratoga, Race 9: Grade 3 Waya (5:02 p.m.)
Leg 3 – Woodbine, Race 9: Grade 1 Whitney (5:22 p.m.)
Leg 4 – Woodbine, Race 10: (5:56 p.m.)
Leg 5 – Saratoga, Race 11: Grade 1 Runhappy Travers (6:15 p.m.)

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