Woodbine handicapping roundup: Week of Oct. 12

Tricky new wager

The eighth and final race last Wednesday launched the Jackpot Hi 5, a challenging wager that requires bettors to select the first five horses in order. The entire pool pays out only when there is one ticket sold that tabs the top five finishers. If there is not a single winning ticket, half of the pool will be carried over to the last race on the next card. The other half will be paid out in consolations to those with the correct order of finish. If there are no winning tickets, the entire pool, minus takeout, will be carried over.

The Jackpot Hi 5 has a 20-cent minimum, and a low 15 percent takeout. The first lone winner is guaranteed a payoff at least $10,000.

There may be some who play more than the 20-cent minimum without knowing the implications of doing so (unless they are trying to hit the consolation multiple times). To have the sole winning ticket, one should not use favorites prominently in the upper positions on their wagers.

Favored Shannon’s Posse held off second choice Sorokolitis to win the first Jackpot Hi 5 race. The 20-cent payoff was $107.30, and the carryover into Friday was $5,479.

Nearctic may no longer be Grade 1 worthy

Sunday’s Grade 1 Nearctic Stakes is the final Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifying race that will be run at Woodbine this year.

The six-furlong turf dash produced the 2011 BC Turf Sprint winner, Regally Ready, but the majority of the other recent Nearctic winners have been forgettable. Even Regally Ready is winless in nine starts since his BC victory. Realistically, the $300,000 Nearctic should be downgraded to a Grade 3, which is the type field that is shaping up for Sunday’s renewal.

Trainer Reade Baker has a trio of Bear Stable runners for the race: Fatal Bullet, Bear No Joke, and Bear Tough Tiger.

Excaper could lead the way off his fade job in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, in which he was softened up in a speed duel with Dimension.

Riding the River could be a late threat on the turnback.

Phil’s Dream notched his first stakes win in the Overskate, and the Ontario-sired 5-year-old could have a good stalking trip in his debut in open stakes company.

Couple of early 2014 Queen’s Plate prospects

We Miss Artie became a rare Ontario-bred to win a Grade 1 stakes at 2 when he captured the Breeders’ Futurity last Saturday over Keeneland’s Polytrack, which thrust him into the early picture for the 2014 Queen’s Plate. He closed five wide with long strides to win that 1 1/16-mile stakes going away.

Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsay, We Miss Artie is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Ontario-bred Ami’s Holiday rallied strongly to take the four-horse Grey Stakes, a Grade 3 at 1 1/16 miles here last Sunday, earning an 80 Beyer after lugging in through the stretch. He is unbeaten in two starts, both for trainer Josie Carroll, who has won the Plate twice.

Track trends

If Forrest Gump were a handicapper, he would have said that Woodbine’s Polytrack is like a box of chocolates, because you never what you’re going to get.

Oct. 2: When 41-1 shot September Square came plodding on the outside from last to take the opener, it became evident that outsider closers were probably going to have a field day on this Wednesday night, which was the case. The only horse to buck the bias was the swift 3-year-old filly Goldstryke Glory, who set rapid fractions along the inside en route to a daylight tally in the six-furlong Apelia Stakes.

Oct. 4: Significant rainfall has often led to speed-favoring conditions on the Polytrack this year, but that wasn’t the case following overnight and morning rain before this Friday card. Just three front-runners found the mark in the nine races.

It rained prior to the Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 cards as well, but a speed bias never materialized on either of those days.