Non-favored Attard pair is key to Woodbine Oaks wagering

Saturday’s 11-race card at Woodbine Racetrack includes four stakes races over the second half of the afternoon led by the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks.

The 1 1/8-mile event for three-year-old fillies drew an oversubscribed field with fourteen fillies in the body of the race and Beautiful Sky also eligible. On a day of outstanding racing across North America, this race stands out as one of the best wagering opportunities of the weekend.

The 2024 Woodbine Oaks should see an honest early pace at the very least given the presence of Vucchella, the 3-1-morning line favorite. Caitlinhergrtness and Lunch With Bernie are amongst those that should get aggressive rides out of the gate in hopes of finding a favorable forward position.

This should lead to a race shape that benefits off-the-pace types, including a pair of Kevin Attard trainees that I will build my wagers around in My Girl Della and War Painter. Both fillies should be set for career-best efforts in their third start of the form cycle, have the right running style to take advantage of the likely contentious first half-mile, and most importantly should offer fair value.

My Girl Della ran three times as a juvenile for trainer Kevin Attard but failed to cross the wire first despite going off at 4-1 or less in all three starts. Attard added blinkers in her first start off the layoff in June and it led to an easy wire-to-wire victory and a career best 79 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. The Medaglia d’Oro filly tried winners for the first time on June 22 and ran fine but was caught wide much of the way. The $170,000 Keeneland September 2022 purchase hopefully got a lot out of that race and meets a field now where even with the shades on, she is nowhere near fast enough to make the lead. This should put jockey Patrick Husbands in a favorable mid-pack spot early allowing him to get first run on the closers. At 12-1 on the morning line, she is a must-use. 

War Painter is listed at half of the morning line price of her stablemate after a half-length score in an optional claiming event at 1 1/16 miles last month. The Danish Dynaformer filly has shown versatility thus far earning wins in a sprint and a route and like My Girl Della should find herself in a favorable mid-pack spot in the early stages. Hopefully Emma-Jayne Wilson can avoid significant ground loss early from her outside draw. If she can, I expect this gal to be full of run late over a course she has the board on in all five tries. 

My Girl Della and War Painter make for excellent keys in the 2024 Woodbine Oaks but are far from a cinch to run 1-2, so I will include others in vertical wagers.

Caitlinhergrtness is tough to knock overall as the morning line choice but she has never competed over an all-weather surface or at two turns, making her tough to rely on. I will include her in all spots with my keys along with Holiday in Jail, Bravo Kate and Ba Dee Yah. Kin’s Concerto I will use in underneath spots only. Hopefully we can sneak Holiday in Jail or Bravo Kate into the number with one of our keys since they both should be big prices.

The Oaks also serves as a prep for the King's Plate. Saturday's card at Woodbine also includes the Plate Trial Stakes for 3-year-old males.

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