Free Picks For Woodbine - 8/16/20

Race 1 - Maiden Special Weight (Purse - $126,800)

Seven 2-year-old fillies, all-first time runners, will go five-furlongs on an all-weather track. #6 Souper Munnings has been terrific in her workouts under trainer Mark Casse -- who has a 15% strike rate with first-time starters. The daughter of Munnings went for $350,000 at a 2-year-old auction. I also like #2 In My Opinion, #3 Rosa’s Soul as well as #5 High Society Girl.

Picks: A win bet on #6. I will also put show bets on #2 and #5.

Race 6 - Maiden Special Weight (Purse - $123,200)

Eight 3-year-old male runners will go seven furlongs on the all-weathered track. #8 Lead Director is coming off a super impressive debut where he battled Last American Exit “tooth-and-nail” before giving way grudgingly late in the meet to lose by a neck in a six-furlong race at Woodbine. The son of Majesticperfection, who won the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga in 2010, also has put together a pair of five-furlongs in under one-minute, including going that distance in 58.60 seconds on June 30. #2 Fort Hope has had a couple of strong initial outings and also has been training well. Fort Hope cuts back to seven furlongs, where he used a strong close to recorded a second-place finish in his debut, after finishing fourth despite leading at the top of the stretch in a one and one-sixteenth mile meet. #1 Over the Hills and #4 Viature should be among the horses that via to also hit the board.

Picks: I like an exacta box on the #8, #2 as well as a win bet on the #8.

Race 8 - Grade 3 Seaway Stakes (Purse - $125,000)

Eight 3-year-old and upward fillies and mares will go seven furlongs. This should be an excellent race with four horses who could conceivably win the event. I like the #2 Souper Escape and the #5 Painting the best. But I’m going with Painting, who has run well in her previous three starts at this distance. The daughter of Distorted Humor has recorded seven top 3 finishes in eight outings and has three consecutive second-place finishes in Graded Stakes events, which includes finishing over four lengths behind Souper Escape in the Trillium Stakes after getting pinched back and starting off the pace. Souper Escape posted a career-best 102 ESpeed rating while winning the $125,000 one and one-sixteenth mile Trillium Stakes in quite easy fashion as she led the majority of the way. The 4-year-old Florida filly has run consistently in each of her last seven outings, garnering four top 3 finishes including a pair of wins. #6 Sister Peacock has gotten ”a piece” of the ticket in 83.3% including seven of nine stakes events.

Picks: I like a win bet on #5. I also like a #2, #5 exacta box as well as a show bet on the #6.