The Plate Trial and Woodbine Oaks on Saturday at Woodbine will determine much of the makeup of the most famous Canadian race, the KING’S PLATE, which will be run for the 165th time on August 17.
There are a few Plate hopefuls not in either of the two races, but because of the continent-wide horse population issue, this is a very lean year for top of the crop Canadian-bred three-year-olds, fillies or males.
MY BOY PRINCE, the Champion two-year-old colt or gelding of 2023, has been the early favourite for the Plate since his super third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita last year. The diminutive grey son of Cairo Prince, owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse, has been perfect at Woodbine this year as he won two sprint stakes easily.