As a young man, Tedston Holder was restless growing up in Barbados. Mischief was easy to come by but when a friend, Mark Desmond Edghill of Shaw Hill, St. John, took him under his wing, his life changed.
Speaking on the popular show, Journeys, the Talk Show, Holder admitted his life could have gone a very different way – not for the better – had he not met Edghill and later, discovered horses.
“My talks with him went on for hours. He taught me how to do things with my hands and be constructive, rather than sitting on the block drinking Cockspur. I cut grass for horses, went to the beach [training] and he showed me how to survive.”
Holder went to the Garrison Savannah racetrack as a teenager with a dream to be a rider, but ultimately, he was growing too big. He became close with top Barbados horseman, now race-caller, Dean Springer and learned his way around the racetrack.
Holder’s life has taken many twists and turns but one constant was racehorses. He came to Canada originally in 1989 – following the late Ricky Griffith who came to Ontario to ride – and worked for several top trainers including one of his favourites, George Bankuti. He set out on his own after a five-year stint in Maryland after working with another mentor, D. Scott Posey, a successful conditioner. Holder saddled his first winner in 1998, She Kan Kipper, and then won six races in his first full season as a trainer in 1990 with horses owned by Italo Erin Stable.
But when Woodbine grew in popularity and bigger barns of horses filled the track, Holder found it difficult to get stalls for his small group of horses for various clients. He worked hard buying and selling a horse or two each year before he came upon a filly, Wuk Up Queen, who Holder molded into a winner.
“Ricky Griffith called me to clip some horses in 2018. His assistant, Keith Edwards, was begging me to find a home for a horse in the barn. I took the filly and walked it to my barn. She started to buck; it was like she was saying ‘let’s have some fun’. That was Wuk Up Queen.”
In 2020, Holder started getting a bigger stable and more stalls. That year, Holder purchased an Ontario-bred filly for $1,200 at the Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale. Hallanvaara, bred by Sean Fitzhenry, was loaded with talent but injured herself in her stall and, while a winner, never lived up to expectations. In 2021, Holder found out a full brother to Hallanvaara was in the same sale. While overseas seeking a horse to buy, he bid on the phone and bought the grey youngster for $10,000.
On Sunday, KAUKOKAIPUU (Finnish for wanderlust) will take Holder and several partners around the world to the biggest race in the land, the $1 million King’s Plate.
Already a winner of $224,413 (US) and the Queenston Stakes this past June, Kaukokaipuu (Mr. Speaker – Grey Pride by Mizzen Mast) will be one of the favourites when he starts from post 15 under Rico Walcott, also a Barbadian. Walcott has his own incredible story to tell as he recovered from an operation for a brain tumour a few years ago during his streak of riding titles in Alberta.
Holder’s story is the most compelling of many for this year’s Plate:
STANLEY HOUSE (Army Mule) is another favourite and his trainer MIKE DEPAULO has been looking for his first Plate winner for many years. The dark bay colt is owned by Torontonians John and Diana Russell, who have owned a horse or two every year for over a decade. Stanley House will have this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) winning rider Javier Castellano on board.
Ontario breeder David Anderson is represented by three horses in the 17-horse field (which also includes two also-eligibles). ELYSIAN FIELD (Hard Spun) won the Woodbine Oaks for Team Valor and Gary Barber, KALIK will be favoured in the Plate and the son of Collected is a graded stakes winner on grass in New York, and MOON LANDING by Nyquist is a longshot with a chance.
KALIK, trained by Chad Brown, will be ridden by leading rider Kazushi Kimura, who seeks his first Plate win.
Hall of Famer ROGER ATTFIELD, who is tied for the most Plate wins by a trainer with 8, will start TWOWAYCROSSING, a horse he owns bred and trains. The son of English Channel comes off a victory in a $40,000 claiming race with a 79 Beyer Speed Figure.
PARAMOUNT PRINCE, purchased as a yearling by Mike Langlois through trainer Jamie Attard, is only the second horse to race for Langlois. The son of Ontario stallion Society’s Chairman lured a co-owner in Gary Barber last year and the gelding, now trained by Mark Casse, won the Plate Trial on July 23 with Patrick Husbands on board.
Al and Bill Ulwelling of Minnesota seek their first win in the Plate and have the filly WICKENHEISER and Coronation Futurity winner VELOCITOR. Those two are trained by Kevin Attard, who also will saddle 2022 Champion 2-year-old PHILIP MY DEAR and Plate Trial runner-up Cool Kiss. Attard won his first Plate in 2022 with the filly MOIRA.
Fillies, incidentally, have won five of the last 12 Plates. Elysian Field was supplemented to the Plate at a cost of $25,000.
TWIN CITY (Klimt) could be the first Plate winner for Stuart Simon, who co-owns and trains the gelding with his longtime friends Brent, Roy and Russell McLellan.
SILENT MIRACLE goes for RCC Racing Stable, owned by Tony Romanelli and trainer John Mattine and they also look for their first Plate win. EL COHETE, trained by DePaulo, is owned by longtime owners Rocco d’Alimonte and Frank Annechini, who had a Plate runner-up in Mr Foricos Two U. MORSTACHY‘S was a recent $40,000 claim by Charis Manohar and trainer Renico Lafond. MIDNIGHT IN MALIBU is owned by Tucci Holdings and Lou and Carlo Tucci won the Plate with Midnight Aria, who was by the same sire as ‘Malibu’, Midnight Lute. And TOUCH’N RIDE just won his maiden on July 30, his second career race, for trainer Layne Giliforte, who groomed 1990 Canadian Triple Crown winner Izvestia.
The 164th King’s Plate winner will be crowned shortly after 5:40 on August 20.
Post – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Morning Line Odds
1 – Stanley House – Michael De Paulo – Javier Castellano – 4-1
2 – Elysian Field – Mark Casse – Sahin Civaci – 8-1
3 – Philip My Dear – Kevin Attard – Daisuke Fukumoto – 30-1
4 – Twin City – Stuart Simon – Gary Boulanger – 30-1
5 – Morstachy’s – Renico Lafond – Leo Salles – 50-1
6 – Kalik – Chad Brown – Kazushi Kimura – 3-1
7 – Velocitor – Kevin Attard – Justin Stein – 30-1
8 – Wickenheiser – Kevin Attard – Rafael Hernandez – 12-1
9 – Silent Miracle – John Mattine – Ryan Munger – 30-1
10 – Midnight in Malibu – Sid Attard – Adam Beschizza – 30-1
11 – Touch’n Ride – Layne Giliforte – Jose Campos – 12-1
12 – Cool Kiss – Michael De Paulo – Emma-Jayne Wilson – 30-1
13 – Paramount Prince – Mark Casse – Patrick Husbands – 10-1
14 – Twowaycrossing – Roger Attfield – Antonio Gallardo – 30-1
15 – Kaukokaipuu – Ted Holder – Rico Walcott – 6-1
16 – El Cohete – Michael De Paulo – Eswan Flores – 50-1
17 – Moon Landing – Kevin Attard – Luis Contreras – 20-1
Also Eligible:
18 – Enjoythesilent – 30-1
19 – Runaway Charlie – 50-1
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