Ami’s Flatter, currently a top prospect on the Kentucky Derby trail for trainer Josie Carroll, was today installed the early 5-2 favorite for the 156th edition of The Queen’s Plate.
Last year, it was filly Lexie Lou who thrilled a packed Woodbine grandstand with a powerful stretch run to take the winner’s share of the $1-million purse for owner Gary Barber, trainer Mark Casse and jockey Patrick Husbands.
The 2015 Queen’s Plate is set for Sunday, July 5, at Woodbine.
The hypothetical Winterbook, compiled by Ron Gierkink and Alex Campbell of the Daily Racing Form, and Keith McCalmont of Woodbine’s Communications department, offers early odds on all 125 three-year-olds, 110 colts and geldings, as well as 15 fillies, nominated to the 2015 Canadian Triple Crown.
Ami’s Flatter, an Ivan Dalos homebred trained by Josie Carroll and ridden by Luis Contreras, finished a strong second to Carpe Diem in Saturday’s Grade 2 $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.
The three-year-old son of Flatter-Galloping Ami, a half-brother to stakes winning filly Aragorn Ami, broke his maiden at Woodbine in November and made his seasonal debut in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream (Jan. 3) where he closed impressively for place behind Bluegrass Singer.
Sent to post at 5-1 in the Grade 3 $350,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs (Jan. 31), Ami’s Flatter surged along the rail to finish fourth, 6 ½-lengths behind Ocean Knight.
On Saturday, Ami’s Flatter improved dramatically in the Tampa Bay Derby with an energetic stretch run to earn place money.
“I thought he put in a great performance. He showed a lot more maturity than the start before. He’s starting to figure the game out,” said Carroll.
Carroll noted that Ami’s Flatter might make his next start on April 4 in the $1-million Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, at Keeneland.
“There’s a possibility that we’ll go the Blue Grass with him,” said Carroll.
And as for a shot at the Kentucky Derby?
“I’ll let you know after the Bluegrass,” grinned Carroll, who, in 2006, became the first female trainer to saddle a Plate winner when Edenwold captured the Gallop for the Guineas.
Carroll added a second Queen’s Plate to her resume in 2011 when the splendid filly Inglorious beat the boys in the 1 ¼-mile Canadian classic.
In addition to Ami’s Flatter, Carroll is also represented in the top five of the Winterbook by Donver Stables charge Decision Day.
“It would be very special,” said Carroll of the prospect of winning a third Queen’s Plate. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have owners send me the right kind of horses. I’m also fortunate to have owners that are patient enough to let me develop these horses. Neither of these horses (Ami’s Flatter and Decision Day) started until late last year.”
Last year, Carroll guided another Dalos homebred, Ami’s Holiday, through an excellent Triple Crown run finishing second in the Plate, and third in the Prince of Wales Stakes, at Fort Erie, before powering to victory in the Breeders’ Stakes.
“This is what his (Mr. Dalos) whole program is about, breeding a classic distance horse and he has put several generations of breeding into doing that. It is all starting to come together,” said Carroll.
Unbridled Juan, an Adena Springs homebred son of Unbridled’s Song out of the multiple graded stakes winner Sugar Swirl, has been listed as the 3-1 second choice after a visually impressive maiden score at Gulfstream which earned a lofty 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We were hoping he was that kind of horse and he trained that way,” said Lynch. “We thought if he could put it all together, he had that kind of talent.”
The Ontario-bred Sugar Swirl, a dominating sprinter by Touch Gold who was trained by Lynch for much of her career, won 10 of 23 starts including consecutive wins in the Grade 3 First Lady, Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie and Grade 2 Shirley Jones Handicap at Gulfstream, all at seven furlongs, in 2008.
Unbridled Juan, a closing third on debut at Gulfstream on Feb. 7, unleashed a powerful closing kick under Luis Saez to graduate in style.
Conquest Stables’ Conquest Typhoon is the 4-1 third choice. The Casse trainee boasts a wealth of racing experience with a career record of 2-3-1 from seven starts including a second-place finish to well-regarded Kentucky Derby contender International Star in Woodbine’s Grey Stakes in October.
The son of Stormy Atlantic scored a half-length victory in the grassy Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar to complete his juvenile campaign. The $330,000 Keeneland purchase opened his sophomore season with a third-place run in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate (Feb. 14.)
The John Oxley-owned Danzig Moon, who will look to give Casse his second Queen’s Plate score, is listed as the 5-1 fourth choice. The Malibu Moon bay, bred in Ontario by William D. Graham, turned heads on Feb. 7 at Gulfstream drawing clear by 4 ¾-lengths to win a one-mile maiden allowance tilt, earning an 89 Beyer number.
Danzig Moon, purchased for $160,000 at the Keeneland 2013 September Yearling Sale, finished fourth in the Tampa Bay Derby, 7 1/2-lengths back of Ami’s Flatter.
Decision Day (6-1), a Donver Stables homebred son of Macho Uno, rounds out the top five. The Carroll trainee was all heart down the lane to fend off Nipigon and capture the $250,000 Coronation Futurity in November.
The talented bay, currently in training with Carroll at Palm Meadows in Florida, finished seventh in Saturday’s Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes, at Gulfstream Park.
“Decision Day ran a great race in the Palm Beach. He got bothered from both sides in the stretch, he got squeezed, and he still was only beaten three lengths,” said Carroll.
Last year, Asserting Bear captured the Coronation Futurity and went on to finish third in the Plate. Decision Day will look to become the first horse since Norcliffe to score the Futurity-Plate double, a feat the Hall of Fame runner achieved in winning the 1975 Coronation Futurity and 1976 Queen’s Plate.
Racing fans can keep track of the latest Queen’s Plate buzz, including photos, feature stories and event details, at http://www.queensplate.com.
A recap of the Top 15 and the entire list of Canadian Triple Crown nominees and Queen’s Plate Winterbook odds follows.
Top 15 in the Winterbook
1. Ami’s Flatter (5-2)
2. Unbridled Juan (3-1)
3. Conquest Typhoon (4-1)
4. Danzig Moon (5-1)
5. Decision Day (6-1)
6. Danish Dynaformer (7-1)
7. Kingsport (9-1)
8. Nipigon (10-1)
9. Conquest Harlanate (f) (12-1)
10. Grand Bili (14-1)
11. Conquest Tsunami (15-1)
12. Shez a Masterpiece (f) (18-1)
13. Conquest Curlinate (20-1)
14. Scorch (22-1)
15. Brooklynsway (f)(25-1)
Canadian Triple Crown nominees (125)
Adrosa Sky 50-1
Allied Beast 125-1
Allied Chrome (f) 125-1
Allied Instigator 125-1
Allied Sugar Ray 125-1
Allstar Dancer 75-1
Ami’s Flatter 5-2
Ault 50-1
Awsome Moi 125-1
Battleofburligton 50-1
Belle Soul (f) 75-1
Billy’s Star 50-1
Blow Over 125-1
Boyz O Boyz 100-1
Bradman 125-1
Breaking Lucky 50-1
Bring On the Bull 50-1
Brooklynsway (f) 25-1
Catch a Ride 50-1
Centrefire 100-1
Chiricahua Signal 75-1
Confront 75-1
Congrats to Avie 100-1
Conquest Boogaloo 50-1
Conquest Curlinate 20-1
Conquest Harlanate (f) 12-1
Conquest Hot Humor 75-1
Conquest Streetkid 125-1
Conquest Tsunami 15-1
Conquest Typhoon 5-1
Cool Jake 75-1
D’s Alumnus 125-1
Danish Dynaformer 7-1
Danzig Moon 4-1
Decision Day 6-1
Dyna’s Recoleta (f) 30-1
Easy Indygo 75-1
Ekati Sonet 125-1
Electric Sound 125-1
Ensign Eli 60-1
Entwistle 80-1
Escape Shaft 75-1
Ethical Funds 75-1
Field of Courage 45-1
Follow Bourbon (f) 75-1
Gilded Kingdom 100-1
Golden Spear 75-1
Grand Bili 14-1
Gray Phantom 125-1
Green Doctor (f) 30-1
Guitar George 75-1
Hammerstein 50-1
Heady Creek 50-1
Helissio Sarasola 100-1
Hey Big Man 125-1
Holy McNasty 125-1
Imperial Dream 75-1
Incitement 100-1
Internal Bourbon (f) 50-1
Jacks Escarpment 30-1
Java’s Bourbon 40-1
Joe Boo Kelly 100-1
Kingsport 9-1
Kip West 125-1
Lion of Judah 75-1
Loose On the Town 125-1
Lord Jasmond 125-1
Lucky Lindy 75-1
March to My Tune 75-1
Malzahn 100-1
Marcherdowntheally (f) 100-1
Masquerade Party 80-1
Mc Culley 75-1
Mercer Island 125-1
Midnight Trace 60-1
Milwaukee Mist 60-1
Mist 75-1
More Than Shirl 100-1
Needle in the Hay 100-1
Ninth Symphony 75-1
Nipigon 10-1
Not an Illusion 100-1
Olympic Bid 75-1
Opportunity Rocks 125-1
Our Gabrielle (f) 80-1
Passion for Action 30-1
Pat Daddy 75-1
Phil’s Cocktail 30-1
Philip the Tank 125-1
Portree 100-1
Pulpego 125-1
Purring Again 100-1
R U Watchingbud 50-1
Ransom the Moon 50-1
Robigus 125-1
Rock My Soul 125-1
Runaway Dude 125-1
Samuel Dechamplain 40-1
Scorch 22-1
Sea Storm 40-1
Sea to Sea 40-1
Season Ticket (f) 45-1
Seeking Her Star (f) 125-1
Shaman Ghost 40-1
Shez a Masterpiece (f) 18-1
Shot for Shot 75-1
Siren’s Song (f) 75-1
Sleeping Giant 70-1
Slewsridingshotgun 100-1
Speightstown Time 125-1
Strike Me Again 125-1
Strike With Mike 100-1
Supersixphil 75-1
Surprising Soul 125-1
Sweet Grass Creek 100-1
Tancook (f) 75-1
Tap the Pistol 85-1
The Feather Lands 75-1
Three Ring Circus 60-1
Thunder Point 75-1
Total Gold 100-1
Town Called Malice 45-1
Transformative 45-1
Unbridled Juan 3-1
Uswain Bolt 125-1
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