Interesting group of 3yr olds lined up to contest the G3 Ontario Derby this year, including some very intriguing “new shooters.” At first glance things may look cut and dry, however as you dig deeper into the cast of characters, this looks anything but a slam dunk event, so we will try and take advantage with a price play as my top selection. Here is how I see things and what my tickets will look like: Saturday, Ontario Derby – Race #9 Top Selection: #7 Brachetto 6-1 I am siding with the Manitoba-bred who has been the model of consistency since his debut last November. He had an excuse for his subpar effort in the King’s Plate as he was three-wide into the first turn and five-wide around the second. Understandably, he had nothing left in the lane. But what really impressed me was after that debacle, the son of Vekoma bounced back in a big way next time out with a runner-up finish in the Prince of Wales on the dirt. He’s had a nice little freshening after that effort and looks like he will get an honest pace to chase. With such a competitive group on paper, we may get the juicy 6-1. Wildcard: #1 Final Score 12-1 First thing to point out, Pietro Moran is listed to ride on both Kevin Attard entrants (Teleport), so need to keep an eye out if both run and where he lands. I have so many reservations/questions about this guy, but I keep going back to those graded stakes wins last year and how impressive they were. Strike a line thru his last where he was sent off as the favourite (very important to note) in the Toronto Cup on the turf as that could have been an experiment just to see where he is at. I say that because this time out he has a whole bunch of changes like adding first time Lasix, blinkers coming off and he switches surfaces for the first time. FYI, his sire Not This Time, is 17% with synthetic routes. He could really wake up and turn things around. Longshot: #4 Western Warrior 10-1 Speaking of Manitoba, this 3-year-old gelding by multiple G1 winning sire Essential Quality took the marquee race at Assiniboia Downs two starts ago. Shows up here for a trainer that is winless from 5 starts this season, and has yet to compete over the synthetic surface. Finished last in the G3 Canadian Derby as the favourite, which could be attributed to both a bounce from his big victory, along with a very wide trip at Century Mile. Attracted Sahin Civaci for the mount, which will be his first for this conditioner. On paper, it looks to be a big ask for him as this is a tougher group than what he has been facing, but interesting to see him show up here. Expect more of a 15-1 price. The Play: $2 exacta 7/all = $16 and P3 starting in Race 8 2,8/7/6,7,10 = $6 Good luck and safe trips for all. Share This:Share
