So after reading last week’s column, did you play the hunch horse, I Love to Win, in last Saturday’s early pick-5 at Woodbine? Not only did that filly win race 5, but for spending $4 for a 20-cent pick-5 wheel as suggested in that column – keying the hunch horse and the best bet in race 4 – you came close to winning $5,863. The only horse missed in the 1 x 4 x 1 x 1 x 5 wheel came in the first leg when the speedball key (because it was a nw2L condition) lost by a head to the favourite after a spirited duel. So just adding that favourite to your ticket would have given you (or did give you!) a huge pay day.

Or maybe you decided to play a $1 pick-3 in races 3,4 and 5 (4 x 1 x 1). For an outlay of $4 you would have collected $945. Rules picked horses that went off at 24-1 (race 3) and 15-1 (race 6). Thank you, racing gods! Hopefully they will help us double up tomorrow in a pick-5 that has the potential of being another biggie.

  • Race 2, 7-furlongs, nw2L condition: Even though this is an often-chaotic race condition, #4 My Munnings Model appears to be a standout and possible key in your pick-5 tickets because he has the highest 7-furlong speed figure of 84 and is dropping in class.
  • Race 3, 7-furlongs, nw2L: #3 has the highest speed figure of 74 at the specialist 7-furlong distance and is dropping in class but the trainer’s stats, 1 win in 27 starts, suggests looking more deeply. Possible longshot is #1 (15-1) because he may have “bounced” in his last race after winning big at 7-furlongs in his previous race.
  • Race 4, maiden allowance route race on the turf: #4 has the best closing fraction on the turf, #6 has good trainer turf stats, #7 is dropping from the Woodbine Oaks stakes race.
  • Race 5, maiden allowance for 2-year-olds: Always a tricky race because all horses except one are first-time starters. That horse, #1 Skylight Caper, made a very favourable impression in her first race, closing with a rush. Most babies don’t do that. Two other horses are worth noting, #4 and #7, because their sires have excellent debut stats of 22 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. The odds on #7, Serious Green, are 20-1! Is that a hunch horse? You’ll win serious green by betting Serious Green!
  • Race 6, another 7-furlong race, this one on the turf: All three horses with the highest 7-furlong figures are longshots: #6 with a 90 speed figure is 6-1, #9 with 87 (although last year) is 20-1 and #2 with 80 (also last year) is 6-1. A horse that may get away on the field is #10 (4-1) who has a pace figure of 121. Watch out!

If you play all horses above your 20-cent pick-5 wheel will look like this:

4/1,3/4,6,7/1,4,7/2,6,9,10. Cost: 1 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 4 = 72 divided by 5 equals $14.40.

Another ticket that carries appeal is 4/all 7/4,6,7/1/all 10 at a cost of $42.

~ by Ivan Bigg