Double Your Pleasure on Woodbine's Wednesday Evening Card

Peter Gross, editor of Down The Stretch newspaper, has embarked on a new wagering mission which will see him bet only doubles for the next 50 days. You can read the method behind the madness on the DTS message board. No doubt Gross will be engrossed with this evenings card at Woodbine which features a top notch turf double to get things started.

Let's take a look at the field for both halves of the Daily Double.

Race 1 - Post Time 6:45PM
Purse $66,000. (Plus $4,000 – Other Sources). For Ontario Sired Maidens, Three Years Old And Upward. Three Year Olds, 118 Lbs.; Older, 123 Lbs. One And One Eighth Miles. (Turf)
P# PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 2 Hat Trick Kid (ON) 4/G R C Landry 123 S Leslie 5/2
1A 12 I'm a Little Fish (ON) 4/G R C Landry 123 S Leslie 5/2
2 8 Mensch (ON) 3/G C Montpellier 118 A M Delmas 12/1
2B 11 Mogul (ON) 3/G C Duquet 10810 A M Delmas 12/1
3 1 Alero Express (BC) 3/G J McAleney 118 T Jordan 10/1
4 3 Intheschemeothings (ON) 3/G N Somsanith 118 S Dominguez 10/1
5 4 Smart Flight (ON) 3/G L T Kabel 118 C Day Phillips 6/1
6 5 Quinzee (ON) 4/G L S R Bahen 123 M A Spencer 12/1
7 6 Mantoli (ON) 3/G D Deverell 118 J Calhoun 20/1
8 7 Darlington (ON) 3/G L J Baird 118 R Baker 15/1
9 9 Thirdkin (ON) 5/G M J McMullen 123 M G McMullen 4/1
10 10 Fifty Proof (ON) 3/G J Stein 118 I Black 12/1
11 13 Monsieur Phillipe (ON) 3/G E Wilson 118 S C Attard 12/1

The first leg is a tough mile and an eighth tilt on the E.P Taylor turf course for a full field of Ontario-sired maidens mostly unproven on both turf and the distance. The Sue Leslie trained entry of I'm A Little Fish and Hat Trick Kid are the morning line favourites at 5-2, but there's plenty of contenders in the weeds at long odds.

Smart Flight - Todd Kabel is on a bit of a hot streak. The veteran rider has won with 41 of 236 mounts and knows how to get them home on the turf. Kabel is connecting with a 21.6% Win% on the grass, tops among riders with more than ten mounts. Smart Flight is a three-year-old Tenjectory gelding trained by Catherine Day-Phillips. Last out, with Kabel aboard, Smart Flight faded down the lane to finish fourth going a mile and a sixteenth on the poly. This one should improve moving back to the turf. His lone turf start was the 2009 opener where he finished fourth less than two lengths back of Thirdkin, who is here.

Darlington - Jerry Baird chooses Darlington over Mensch for this event which is a bit of a head-scratcher on paper. Last out Darlington finished a rallying fifth at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf, some sixth lengths back of I'm A Little Fish. However, Darlington was out slow that day and has inside position on the Fish who drew the 12-hole tonight. Trainer Reade Baker knows the way to the winners circle, but I prefer others here. A good friend of mine, by far the best handicapper I know, likes this one a lot.

Mensch - Constant Montpelier picks up the mount on this Compadre gelding trained by Analisa Delmas. The conditioner has had turf success of late and Mensch is one of few in the opener proven to get the distance. Since moving to the turf three starts ago, Mesch has finished second at a mile and three eighths; a distant twelfth when reaching in the Breeders Stakes; and rallied from dead last to make up twelve lengths finishing fifth at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf last out. Plenty to like though a bit disconcerting to see a maiden making his tenth start of the meet.

Fifty Proof - Kinghaven Farms owns part of Fifty Proof, trained by Ian Black who wins with 27.2% of his turf starters. The three-year-old Whiskey Whisdom gelding has made one lacklustre start on the poly finishing seventh. Fifty Proof get first-time Lasix here and a move to the turf. Justin Stein does well with Black-trained horses and simply cannot be tossed out of the exotic picture.

I'm A Little Fish - This consistent four year-old Tenjectory gelding (15-M-5-3) swims closer to the win pool with every start. Last out, jockey Rob Landry made a late move down the rail to finish second beaten five lengths by Spirit Lodge. An outside post might work to Landry's advantage here as he can survey the field and pick a spot.

Picks:
1. Smart Flight
2. Mensch
3. Fifty Proof

Despite the top 3 choices, I'll be working all the ones mentioned above in my exotics.

Race 2 - Post-time 7:15PM
Purse $66,800. (Plus $4,000 – Other Sources). For Ontario Sired Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward Which Have Never Won Three Races. Three Year Olds, 120 Lbs.; Older, 123 Lbs. Non-winners of a race other than Claiming since August 2 Allowed 2 Lbs. Six Furlongs. (Turf)
P# PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1 Sans Sousi (ON) 3/F C Sutherland 118 M J Doyle 5/2
2 2 Lea's Moon (ON) 4/F E Wilson 121 I Black 6/1
3 3 Regan Lodge (FL) 4/F P Husbands 121 M E Casse 4/1
4 4 Bold Maneuver (ON) 4/F C Fraser 121 G Cox 10/1
5 5 Minkredible (ON) 3/F E Ramsammy 118 M P De Paulo 7/2
6 6 Miss Terra (ON) 5/M E R Da Silva 121 P Parente 8/1
7 7 Kissnride (AB) 4/F J McAleney 121 S C Simon 15/1
8 8 Special Moment (ON) 4/F R A Dos Ramos 121 W Tharrenos 15/1
9 9 Sassy Star (ON) 7/M R C Landry 121 S Leslie 12/1

A beautiful turf sprint for Ontario-sired fillies and mares to mark the second leg of the Daily Double. Sans Sousi is a deserving 5-2 favourite but could be susceptible coming out of a string of difficult events.

Sans Sousi - Chantal Sutherland returns to ride Sans Sousi for trainer Mike Doyle. The Bold Executive filly competed in open Stakes company last out and now moves to a restricted event which makes her very dangerous. Sans Sousi won the Lady Angegla Stakes on May 23rd defeating Minkredible going seven furlongs on the polytrack. Her lone turf try was a third place finish in the seven furlong Passing Mood Stakes won by the excellent Double Malt.

Minkredible - This Tomahawk filly has been freshened since setting the pace to finish second in the seven furlong Lady Angela. The Form notes for that race state, "yielded in final furlong." Today's event is one furlong shorter and the turf breeding suggests that the Mike DePaulo trainee will be happy with the poly to turf to angle. With a string of excellent August bullet works, there is no doubt Minkredible could make an incredible splash in her first turf start.

Sassy Star - Sue Leslie trains this seven-year-old Highland Ruckus mare making her first start in over a year. The classy mare lost by a nose first out in 2008 off a long layoff sprinting six and a half furlongs on the turf and came back to win a nice allowance event on the poly two starts later. Sassy Star loves to run from off the pace and Minkredible will certainly ensure there's speed to chase in this event. Rob Landry is given the task of getting the old mare back to where she used to be.

Picks:

1. Minkredible
2. Sassy Star
3. Sans Sousi

It's an excellent card of racing at Woodbine this evening and I'll be Tweeting in the paddock by second-race post time. Best of luck to all of you playing along from home in the Score 123 Racing Contest. A recap of the evening will be posted tomorrow.