Woodbine welcomes Thoroughbred racing back for opening day of the 2026 season on Saturday. To celebrate, the 20-cent base bet early pick 5 boasts a $1,000 Hit & Split promotion when you bet with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. First post will be 1:20 pm ET and note the initial 3 weeks of the season schedule feature Saturday-Sunday weekend racing.
Let’s get to work.
Race 1: claiming
#5 Haley’s Honor broke her maiden immediately following the winter break a year ago and has trained in sharp times for a Steven Chircop barn that won 32% off 160-day or more layoffs at Woodbine in April / May over the last 5 years. #2 Rarified ran a good second off the layoff to open 2025 and closed the campaign with a dominant win when last seen in late November. She gets Rafael Hernandez to ride and note he won 24% locally over the last 5 years in dash races 5 furlongs or shorter. I’ll use that pair but deeper tickets consider #3 Saucy Name and #4 Rocket Riley, who both won their ’25 seasonal returns off the bench.
Race 2: claiming
#7 Mi Tormenta (5 wins) and #5 Summer Snow (6 wins) were blanked from the winner’s circle last year but catch a race condition favorable to them in that they’re facing essentially a group of non-winners of 3 lifetime races. Summer Snow has excellent gate speed to apply over the 4-1/2 furlong dash trip. Mi Tormenta ran a strong third vs. a much tougher claiming condition to open her ’25 season off a similar break. Her trainer Ross Armata is 7: 3-1-1 with limited April starters at Woodbine in recent years.
Race 3: allowance/optional claiming
#1 Minimum Forty looked like the goods in her November 22 debut when the Bobby Tiller trainee drew off to score by more than 5 lengths. That barn is a strong 19: 4-2-1 in April starts at Woodbine the last 5 years and the Tiller-Fukumoto combo wins 28% with a $3.29 ROI for every $1 bet. I’ll single while considering #2 Barbara Joan and #5 Lady Virago the primary challengers.
Race 4: claiming
This looks like the best potential spread race in the sequence as #5 Dedos figures to be well-backed off 6-5 and 4-5 play at Turfway for Wesley Ward. Her modest maiden breaker Feb. 27 saw the runner-up take 3 more starts to break his maiden and have to venture to Mountaineer to do so. I’m not sure she has any decided edge though Ward is 12: 3-4-0 at Woodbine in April the last 5 years and might have caught the right field. I’ll toss the #2 and #3 who are 2-for-37 collectively and both broke their maidens at the basement $9,500 level. Use the other 5 runners in this 7-horse affair.
Race 5: maiden special weight
Mark Casse’s pair of #2 Will Win and #1 Smokin Empire wintered in Florida and have some training fitness edge on the locals. #4 Justine exits the Wesley Ward barn and joined Dale Desruisseaux in March. Her local works and Churchill fall form give her a massive shot even against the boys as a 4-year-old vs. inexperienced 3-year-olds. Deeper tickets may consider #6 Delta Force, but with only 2 works on the tab, he may be short of his best and I’ll stick with using the leading trio.
The Ticket:
2,5 with 7,5 with 1 with 1,4,5,6,7 with 2,1,4 = $12 for each $.20 play
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