Taking a swing at Woodbine’s Late Pick 5 on Saturday

A trio of graded stakes events, with two of the Grade 1 variety, tops a fine day of action at Woodbine on Saturday. The closing five races on the card present chances to get decent prices in at least four of the legs, and I will take aim at the Late Pick 5.

Race 8

A deep field of fillies and mares will go 1 1/4 miles on the lawn in the E. P. Taylor S. (G1). #2 Red Tea (3-1), #6 Durance (6-1) and #7 Imperial Charm (4-1) look like the top contenders from Europe, while the Graham Motion-trained #10 Secret Message (10-1) could be sitting on a big one as a Grade 2 heroine on the course. I will use all four to kick things off.

Race 9

#1 Ziyad (1-1) is my top selection for the Canadian International (G1), but for this particular wager I will use three others for value purposes. #2 Pivoine (10-1),defending champ #4 Desert Encounter (2-1), or German import #5 Alounak (6-1) could be up to the task if the favorite fails to fire.

Race 10

A first-level allowance tilt for two-year-old fillies on the lawn attracted a field of eight. Woodbine Cares S. third #1 Quality Heat (5-2) is a must-use and I will single the Mark Casse pupil. Dark bay daughter of Quality Road will get a swift pace to rally into after saving ground along the rail to the top of the stretch. She is my single.

Race 11

A large allowance field will vie in the 7 1/2-furlong endeavor on the green. In a race where the favorite looks very vulnerable, I will go three-deep in hoping for a square number.

My trio will be #5 Jungle Warrior (4-1), #9 Four Knights (12-1) and #11 Encierro (7-2).

Race 12

A deep and fascinating finale for juvenile fillies going seven panels on the main oval. My top pick is #5 Magic Flute (10-1) for conditioner Sid Attard. The Point of Entry lass went off as the 5-2 favorite on debut in a loaded race, which saw the top-three finishers come back to win next time out. She gets Lasix and top jockey Rafael Hernandez for her second career outing.

I will also include #2 Queen’s Speed (4-1), #6 Lea Ro (6-1) and #12 Fashion Fortune (10-1).

Suggested 20-cent Pick 5 ticket:

2,6,7,10 with 1,2,4,5 with 1 with 5,9,11 with 2,5,6,12 = $38.40

Good luck!

Ziyad photo courtesy WEG/Michael Burns Photography