Best Superfecta of the Week: Grey Stakes at Woodbine

If you’re looking for a superfecta to play on the first day of post-Breeders’ Cup racing, you should check out Sunday’s $175,000 Grey (G3), Race 8 at Woodbine.

The 1 1/16-mile Tapeta contest for two-year-olds has drawn an intriguing seven-horse field. Three entrants have yet to race over a synthetic track, so it’s a tricky race to handicap, and a winning superfecta ticket could pay nicely.

Wagers

• $1 Superfecta: 7 with 1 with 2,3,6 with 2,3,4,6 ($9)
• $1 Superfecta: 7 with 2,3,6 with 1 with 2,3,4,6 ($9)
• $1 Superfecta: 7 with 2,3,6 with 2,3,4,6 with 1 ($9)
  Total: $27

There isn’t much pace in the Grey field. Only two horses have ever employed frontrunning tactics, and one of them—the maiden #5 Authentic Gold—did so in a slow-paced 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight in which he tired and finished 11th.

As a result, #7 Freedom Hall appears likely to secure an uncontested lead. He’s led from start to finish in each of his last two starts. First, he wired a six-furlong $50,000 maiden optional claimer on dirt at Colonial Downs by two lengths. Then he switched to Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs and trounced a $62,500 allowance optional claimer by 5 1/4 lengths.

Freedom Hall’s allowance win yielded an 85 Brisnet Speed rating, one of the highest numbers in the Grey field. His pedigree suggests stretching out over 1 1/16 miles is within reach, so we’ll key Freedom Hall on top of our superfecta tickets and count on him to lead all the way.

Underneath, we’ll emphasize #1 Play It Again. He’s shown ability on grass, winning a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Ellis Park before finishing sixth in Woodbine’s one-mile Summer (G1). The latter effort earned an 85 Brisnet Speed rating. Switching to Tapeta is a new obstacle, but Play It Again’s talent shouldn’t be underestimated.

#3 Uncle Dodo is another logical contender. He’s shown good form over the Woodbine Tapeta, winning the 5 1/2-furlong Victoria S. and running second in the seven-furlong Display S. Along the way, he’s earned Brisnet Speed ratings of 94 and 79.

Other horses we’ll use are #2 Speaker’s Speech, who exits a third-place finish in the five-furlong Algonquin (G3) on turf; #4 King’s Counsel, winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Simcoe S. over the Woodbine Tapeta; and #6 Okarito, victorious in a one-mile maiden special weight on turf at Churchill Downs. 

Good luck!