A powerful trio from trainer Mark Casse and owners Gary Barber and Manfred and Penny Conrad will be hard to get past in the 165th King’s Plate on August 17.
As of Monday morning, Canadian Thoroughbred has confirmed 10 starters for the 1 1/4 mile, $1 million Canadian classic, with another three or four likely to enter.
Plate Trial winner and champion two-year-old male of 2023 MY BOY PRINCE simply towers over his fellow Canadian-bred three-year-olds but still has to negotiate the tough Plate distance.
165th King’s Plate Contenders/Possible starters
10 confirmed currently
1 My Boy Prince – won Plate Trial
2 Essex Serpent – won Grade 3 Marine Stakes
3 Midnight Mascot – Third Grade 3 Marine Stakes
4 Rafaroo – 2nd Plate Trial, maiden
5 Friendly Ghost – 3rd Plate Trial *not confirmed
6 Pierre – 3rd allowance race on grass
7 Jokestar – 5th Plate Trial
8 Vitality – won maiden race
9 Wyoming Bill – 3rd maiden race
10 Hurricane Clair (f) – 3rd Woodbine Oaks *not confirmed
11 Thor’s Cause – 4th maiden race
12 No More Options – 6th Plate Trial
13 Awesome Entry – won maiden for $25,000 claiming *not confirmed
Manfred and Penny Conrad have never won the Plate but have won a Breeders Cup race (with Shamrock Rose). Their homebred ESSEX SERPENT, by Honor Code) and sales purchase MIDNIGHT MASCOT ran one-and-three in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes.
Trainer CATHERINE DAY PHILLIPS said Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s WYOMING BILL is headed to the Plate as long as training is smooth in the weeks to come. The chestnut son of Curlin – Dixie Chicken is a full brother to Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon.
Wyoming Bill has raced twice and recently finished third in a maiden race after a wide rally to Stronach Stables’ Vitality. Vitality and Plate Trial runner-up RAFAROO, a maiden, are two Stronach Stable horses head to Plate.
KRISTA COLE says THOR’S CAUSE is likely headed to the Plate for owners Joe Pignatelli, Spirit’s Path Management and Al McMullen. The Brody’s Cause three-year-old was fourth and just over a length behind Wyoming Bill in that same maiden race. Cole said a decision has not been made about recent maiden claiming winner Awesome Entry headed to the Plate.
NO MORE OPTIONS, owned by Mary Self and trained by Zelko Krcmar, faded in the Plate Trial but will continue to the Plate.
The lone filly, HURRICANE CLAIR, was third in the Woodbine Oaks and could make her next start in the Bison City Stakes or Plate.
Kevin Attard said only two of his horses are headed to the Plate: PIERRE and JOKESTAR, both owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling.
Sue Leslie’s FRIENDLY GHOST, third in the Plate Trial, will have to continue to improve through his training to earn a start in the Plate. The Ghostzapper gelding is trained by Evette Chartrand-Hoek.
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