The summer racing action at Woodbine heats up on Sunday with the running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser.

The Woodbine Oaks ranks as Canada’s most prestigious race for Canadian-bred 3-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It can be considered Canada’s equivalent to the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, and it’s not terribly uncommon for the Woodbine Oaks winner to come back and beat males in the Queen’s Plate Stakes (Canada’s equivalent to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve).

A field of 10 has turned out for the 2022 Woodbine Oaks, which is contested over Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta track at a distance of 1 1/8 miles. One of the key contenders is #3 Moira, whose trainer Kevin Attard won the 2021 Woodbine Oaks with Munnyfor Ro.

There’s a lot to like about Moira. She’s competed exclusively in stakes so far, remarkably debuting with a victory in the 1 1/16-mile Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Woodbine last fall. That effort came against Canadian-bred rivals (including Woodbine Oaks entrant #2 Souper Flashy), but Moira dominated by 4 ¼  lengths and subsequently proved her class against tougher competition with a close runner-up effort in Woodbine’s Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes racing 1 1/16 miles.

Following a long winter/spring break, Moira returned to action in the June 11 Fury Stakes sprinting seven-eighths of a mile at Woodbine. Cutting back in distance proved to be no obstacle as Moira swept past rivals around the turn and dug deep down the lane to win by a head over #10 Pioneer’s Edge.

With this encouraging seasonal debut under her belt, Moira looks tough to deny in the Woodbine Oaks. Attard has been hot at Woodbine this year, winning at a 21% rate, and Moira has turned in a sharp series of workouts since the Fury Stakes. What’s not to like?

If there’s an obstacle standing between Moira and the Woodbine Oaks winner’s circle, it might be #6 Sahlabiya, the lone filly shipping in from outside of Canada. Conditioned by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Sahlabiya has yet to win a race, but she’s been competing in unrestricted maiden special weights on the tough New York circuit and might find the competition a bit easier at Woodbine.

Certainly Sahlabiya showed promise in her May 1 debut racing 1 1/16 miles over the Belmont Park turf course, launching a rally to lead in midstretch before flattening out late to finish third by half a length. She arguably ran even better in a 1 1/8-mile turf test at Belmont on June 17, setting a slow pace before finishing up well to run second.

As a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of a Tapit mare, Sahlabiya’s pedigree isn’t overly geared toward success on turf, so it’s possible she’ll enjoy the Woodbine Tapeta more than the Belmont lawn. The fact she’ll be ridden by hot jockey Kazushi Kimura (a 21% winner at Woodbine this year) is another positive. In short, Sahlabiya has plenty of potential and may outrun expectations at a nice price.

The above-mentioned Pioneer’s Edge is another logical contender. After rallying to finish second by a head against Moira in the Fury Stakes, Pioneer’s Edge tackled tougher competition in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes at Woodbine, coming home fifth in the 1 1/16-mile heat. She’s bred to run long and improve with maturity for hot trainer Josie Carroll (a 26% winner at Woodbine this year), so Pioneer’s Edge still has upside while dropping back into the Canadian-bred ranks and racing with Lasix for the first time.

So how should we bet the Woodbine Oaks? For the most part, we’ll play Moira over Sahlabiya and Pioneer’s Edge in exotic wagers like the exacta and trifecta. But we’ll also play a couple of smaller tickets with Sahlabiya on top.

Wagering Strategy on a $10 Budget

$4 exacta: 3 with 6,10 ($8)

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, 9^th race, $4 exacta 3 with 6,10

$2 exacta: 6 with 3

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, 9^th race, $2 exacta 6 with 3

Wagering Strategy on a $30 Budget

$8 exacta: 3 with 6,10 ($16)

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, 9^th race, $8 exacta 3 with 6,10

$4 exacta: 6 with 3

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, 9^th race, $4 exacta 6 with 3

$4 trifecta: 3 with 6,10 with 6,10 ($8)

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, 9^th race, $5 trifecta 3 with 6,10 with 6,10

$2 trifecta: 6 with 3 with 10

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, 9^th race, $2 trifecta 6 with 3 with 10

Good luck, and enjoy the race!