The arrival of the Fury and Queenston Stakes on the Woodbine stakes schedule this weekend essentially marks the beginning of the journey to Canada’s most important races for three-year-olds foaled in this country, the Woodbine Oaks and King’s Plate.
Canadian Thoroughbred has been logging a list of contenders for both races; view the latest installment here.
The Fury and Queenston are both seven furlong races, a long way from the 1 1/8 miles of the Oaks to be run July 23 and the 1 1/4 mile King’s Plate on August 20. However, last year’s Fury, a $125,000-added race sponsored by Stella Artois, was won by Moira, who went on to win both the Oaks and the Plate.
The June 11 Queenston is slightly more fascinating as a huge field of 13 has been entered including the 2022 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt PHILIP MY DEAR (Silent Name (Jpn)), Raroma Stables’ dark bay who won three of five starts last year including the Cup & Saucer Stakes and Soaring Free Stakes on turf. The colt ended his juvenile campaign with a close third in the Coronation Futurity.
Philip My Dear gets hung out in post 13 on Sunday. He has been working steadily for trainer Kevin Attard, who also will send out MOON LANDING (Nyquist), owned by Robert LaPenta and eFive Thoroughbreds. Moon Landing adds Lasix for the first time and will start from the rail with Rafael Hernandez riding.
Another top two-year-old from 2022, POULIN IN OT, makes his season debut but without his regular rider Patrick Husbands. A four-time winner from six starts for Steve Owens and Empress Stable, Poulin in O T (Reload) won three sprint stakes as a juvenile. Eswan Flores will ride on Sunday as Husbands is named on two sophomores trained by Mark Casse, True Temper and Paramount Prince.
True Temper (Maclean’s Music) was a nifty debut winner on April 29 for Jackpot Farm and Husbands, earning a 78 Beyer Figure for his win over the speed Kaukokaipuu, who came back to win and is in the Queenston field.
Paramount Prince, a sensational debut winner last November, was second in his season debut to One Bay Hemmingway (also in the Queenston field).
Kaukokaipuu (Mr. Speaker), Paramount Prince and One Bay Hemingway will ensure a solid pace in the Queenston. Two guys who could take advantage of a hot pace include HEY CUE, a half-brother to Queen’s Plate winner One Bad Boy, and COOL KISS, who defeated older horses in a recent seven furlong outing.
The Queenston was inaugurated in 1956 at Fort Erie racetrack and first won by Dining Alone, trained by Frank Merrill.
Seven times the Queenston winner has gone on to win the Plate, with the most recent being NOT BOURBON in 2008.
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Saturday’s Fury Stakes, a race also inaugurated in 1956, has produced more than a dozen Woodbine Oaks winners. In addition to Moira, 2004’s Eye of the Sphynx, 2000’s Catch the Ring and 1999’s Kirby’s Song are recent Fury winners to take the Oaks.
Trainers Casse and Kevin Attard have five of the nine entrants in the Fury. Casse-trainees TICKER TAPE HOME, making her first start at Woodbine in 2023 after two modest runs in Florida in the winter, and ME AND MY SHADOW each look good to win the Fury. Attard sends out Shady Well Stakes winner FASHIONABLY FAB for the first time this year.
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On June 9, Woodbine Entertainment released the latest nomination numbers for The King’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser.
Following the initial subscription in early-April, the connections of nominated horses were required to submit a second payment on or before June 7 to remain eligible.
The 164th running of The King’s Plate, to be contested on Sunday, August 20, had 69 Canadian bred three-year-olds remaining eligible, plus one supplement to bring the number to 70.
The Woodbine Oaks, which will be run on Sunday, July 23, had 30 Canadian bred three-year-old fillies remain eligible, plus two supplements to bring the number to 32.
To view the list of King’s Plate nominees, click here.
To view the list of Woodbine Oaks nominees, click here.
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