When Woodbine jockey Skye Chernetz wins a race, it’s rarely a so-so affair. Her horse is either a ticket killer or a ticket builder — because many of her mounts are longshots.
Such was the case Saturday afternoon when she hustled a six-year-old mare from last to first in race 8, a route race on the turf, at odds of 30-1. There was a lot more groaning than cheering at race books around the continent. Only three players had reached for the Skye, resulting in a $25,047 payoff for each of their 20-cent pick-5 tickets.
Other players wondered how they might have included the 13-per cent jockey’s horse, #5 Buttered Toast, on their tickets. Would you believe, rather easily? You just had to look for horses who showed closing ability in their previous race on the synthetic main track. Saturday’s race was on the turf and turf seems to improve horses’ ability to close oodles of ground. Hence, it was last-to-first by Buttered Toast.