Allowed to set his own tempo out of the gate, Mansetti went slow on the lead and then darted away to win the 166th King's Plate.
166th King's Plate
Will there be Plate Magic Saturday from Tom? Will the filly No Time be on time? Or will the Gangster steal it?
For owner Michael Lay, having his colt William T in the King's Plate is the ultimate thrill; the colt's young namesake will be there, too.
"People have no idea what this horse has gone through" says trainer John Charalambous of his King's Plate hopeful.
Thirteen three-year-olds will square off on Saturday at Woodbine; No Time is the 7-to-2 morning line favourite.
It has been 50 years since Norcliffe, trained by Roger Attfield, won the Coronation Futurity and then the Plate the following year.
US-based Tom's Magic is looking good in workouts for the King's Plate; trainer Mark Casse will be at Saratoga next week.
August 16th is approaching quickly and the final workouts for the contenders are, well, in the works! Mansetti impresses.
Mark Dodson's homebred Notorious Gangster had a speedy breeze at Woodbine on July 31 as he continues on his way to the Plate.
At this point, it appears a field of 12 will break from the starting gates in the $1 million Canadian-bred classic on August 16th.
Monterey Bay is one of 12 horses on the Canadian Thoroughbred list of 166th King's Plate contenders and a filly has a big chance again.
Notorious Gangster remains the top King's Plate contender, but Yawen Wu's Sedburys Ghost pops up with Trial win.
Tom's Magic races for big money next week at Penn National and local guys Dewolf and Notorious Gangster are very ready.
Son of Justify will only start if race remains on turf; other Plate hopefuls are busy with races and works this week.
American-owned and -trained colt won the Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds on March 1 for his second win in three races.
