Woodbine: Late pick five play for King's Plate Day
:quality(75))
Daily Racing Form handicapper Michael Hammersly's $250,000-guaranteed late pick five play for King's Plate Day at Woodbine.
RACE 9: GHOST ME (No. 5) won both starts in smart fashion, and with the first of those being on Aqueduct turf you figure the move to grass here won’t be a problem. MRS D (No. 9) has speed and gave the top pick a scare in a synthetic stakes here last month. Turf is new, but the Bolt d’Oros seem to handle it well. MELONI (No. 3) showed speed and guts to win her synthetic debut and is bred to handle turf and the added ground. (3)
RACE 10: LUSTER (No. 1) has been monstrous and looms a heavy favorite to beat the boys. Is she Dance Smartly 2.0? HIGHWAYTOTHEMOON (No. 8) is probably the best of the boys and won the Plate Trial in smart fashion, handling the 1 1/8 miles as if this 10 furlongs won’t be an issue. (2)
RACE 11: G T FIVE HUNDRED (No. 2) stayed on well to win the Grade 2 Connaught Cup here July 19 and figures tough right back. His speed can have him forward from the start. IRISH ACES (No. 1) gave the top pick fits when charging home late in the Connaught Cup for second. That was just his second start after a long layoff. GAS ME UP (No. 3) won this last year. He comes off a freshening after chasing the best turf milers in Southern California. SEMINOLE CHIEF (No. 4) comes here in top form. (4)
RACE 12: AWESOME BEAT (No. 9) got a spring freshening and has come back bigger and badder. A repeat of that third last time out in a race like this makes him tough. DEPUTY CURLIN (No. 5) is interesting. His last two weren’t very pretty, but they thought enough of him last fall to try the Coronation. DECADENT DANISH (No. 2) figures to keep coming. (3)
RACE 13: PADDY HOLIDAY (No. 4) ran decently in his first two starts, though that won’t make those who made him the favorite in each feel any better. With those outings under his belt, he might be set to break through, though it’s different footing. FORESTERS LASTLOVE (No. 7) moved to turf here last month and perked up considerably. (2)
THE PLAY: 3, 5, 9 / 1, 8 / 1, 2, 3, 4 / 2, 5, 9 / 4, 7 = $28.80 ticket
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.