Charles Fipke’s Danish Dynaformer, Stronach Stables’ Shaman Ghost and Bear Stables’ Academic head an ultra-competitive field of 14 for the $1 million Queen’s Plate, Canada’s most famous horse race, Sunday at Woodbine.
The 156th edition of the Plate for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America, will be televised live on TSN in HD from 4:30 – 6:00 pm ET. Post time is 5:38 pm. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, will be the Royal Guest of Honour.
All starters carry 126 pounds, except the lone filly Academic, who will tote 121 pounds for the mile and one-quarter classic over Woodbine’s Polytrack. The winner will receive $600,000.
At the Queen’s Plate breakfast on Thursday morning, the selection order for post positions was drawn first via the traditional ‘pill-pull’, followed by the choosing of post positions by the connections for each horse, a system which has been in place for the Plate since 1998.
Danish Dynaformer (PP7, 3-1), one of two (Billy’s Star is the other) trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, will try to give his conditioner a record ninth Plate win and has been established as the lukewarm 3-1 morning line favourite. Attfield chose post seven with the second selection. The Fipke homebred son of Dynaformer-Danish Wildcat scored an impressive three-quarter length victory over Conquest Curlinate in the June 14 Plate Trial, his third win in six career starts. It followed a close third place finish to Plate rival Shaman Ghost in the Marine Stakes on May 16. Twenty-five Plate Trial winners have gone on to win the King/Queen’s Plate since 1944, the last being Big Red Mike in 2010.
“He’s a really nice horse, no question about it,” said Attfield. “He’s got a big turn of foot and a huge cruising speed. He’s a very versatile horse.”
Attfield is currently tied with Harry Giddings Jr. for most Plate wins. His previous winners were Not Bourbon (for Fipke) in 2008, Regal Discovery (1995), Peteski (1993), Alydeed (1992), Izvestia (1990), With Approval (1989), Market Control (1987) and Norcliffe (1976). Peteski, Izvestia and With Approval all went on to win the Canadian Triple Crown.
Danish Dynaformer will be ridden by Patrick Husbands for the first time, since Luis Contreras, aboard for the Trial, was previously committed to Ami’s Flatter. Husbands has won the Plate twice, in 2003 with eventual Triple Crown winner Wando, then last year with filly Lexie Lou. The last jockey to win back-to-back Plates was Eurico Rosa da Silva in 2009-10, with Eye of the Leopard and Big Red Mike, respectively.
Billy’s Star (PP5, 15-1), with the aforementioned Eurico Rosa da Silva, currently Woodbine’s leading rider aboard, finished a troubled sixth in the Trial, yet only five lengths behind his stablemate, after breaking his maiden in May at Woodbine over one and one-sixteenth miles. Also bred by Fipke but now owned by Perfect Timber Partnership, the son of Perfect Soul-Tapatina was a $160,000 Canadian Select yearling purchase.
Stronach Stables’ homebred Shaman Ghost (PP1, 7-2), a son of former Stronach champion Ghostzapper out of Getback Time, hasn’t raced since his winning effort in the mile and one-sixteenth Marine on May 16, when overcoming traffic with a powerful late stretch charge. Trained by Brian Lynch, Shaman Ghost will be ridden by Rafael Hernandez, who has piloted the colt to three consecutive wins, including the Marine.
“Winning form is the best form and he’s won three in a row,” said Lynch, who didn’t have to pick a post when he drew number 14 in the selection order. “He’s been doing everything well in those last three, really fighting to the wire in all of them. I like the way he doesn’t give up. He just keeps on battling. Hopefully, he brings that same great fight with him to the Plate.”
Stronach is a two-time Plate winner (Basqueian, 1994 and Awesome Again, 1997), while Lynch just missed winning the 2008 Plate with Stronach’s filly Ginger Brew, finishing a head behind Not Bourbon.
Bear Stables’ Academic (PP4, 5-1), with Justin Stein aboard, scored a 66-1 shocker three weeks ago when wiring her rivals in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser. It was just the second start of the year for the daughter of Henny Hughes-Awesome Lass. Her mile and one-eighth time of 1.48.86 was a track record and almost one second faster than it took Danish Dynaformer to win the Trial a race before. Her connections drew the first post selection and picked post four.
Academic, the field’s leading money winner with $358,106 after being bought for $54,000 at the Ocala Two-Year-Olds In training Sale, will try to become the 36th filly to win the Plate since 1860, the eighth since 1956 and the seventh to sweep both the Oaks and the Plate, joining Flaming Page (1962), La Lorgnette (1985), Dance Smartly (1991), Dancethruthedawn (2001), Inglorious (2011) and Lexie Lou (2014).
Stein rode Strait of Dover to victory in the 2012 Plate, while Bear Stables and trainer Reade Baker, who will also saddle Bear At Last and Breaking Lucky, finished third last year with Asserting Bear.
Breaking Lucky (PP9, 20-1), owned by Gunpowder Farms, broke his maiden at Woodbine in April, then was second and seventh in two subsequent route allowance races. The son of 2010 Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky will be ridden by Jim McAleney, who has twice finished second in the Plate, aboard I And I in 2000 and Anglian Prince in 2002. Bear Stables’ Bear At Last (PP13, 30-1), a one-time winner in 11 outings to be ridden by Rico Walcott, is a son of champion Marchfield and was most recently seventh in the Plate Trial.
Queen’s Plate winterbook favourite Ami’s Flatter (PP14, 6-1), trained by Josie Carroll for owner-breeder Ivan Dalos, disappointed as the 3-5 favourite in the Marine on May 16, finishing seventh, five lengths behind Shaman Ghost. That result came after a competitive run on the Kentucky Derby trail, which saw the son of Flatter-Galloping Ami finish second to Carpe Diem in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs and third to Materiality in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The field’s second leading money winner with $237,260 will be ridden by Luis Contreras.
Dalos, Carroll and Contreras teamed to finish second with Ami’s Holiday in last year’s Plate. Carroll, though, has won two Plates – Edenwold (2006) and Inglorious (2011) and is the only female trainer to even win the Plate while Contreras was aboard Inglorious for his first Plate score.
Seven-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer Mark Casse, who saddled last year’s winner Lexie Lou, will try to win a second consecutive Plate with Conquest Stables’ Conquest Boogaloo and Bill and Vicki Poston’s Oakton. The last trainer to win back-to-back Plates was Mark Frostad in 2000-2001.
Conquest Boogaloo (PP8, 8-1), a $190,000 Keeneland yearling buy, finished a closing troubled third in the Plate Trial, just two lengths behind Danish Dynaformer. The son of Scat Daddy-Jules Best also encountered a difficult trip in the Marine, when eighth to Shaman Ghost. He’s won two of seven, including last year’s Swynford Stakes, and will be handled by Alan Garcia. Oakton (PP2, 20-1), a one-time winner in six starts, will be ridden for the first time by Tyler Pizarro, who finished second for Casse in the 2011 Plate aboard Hippolytus.
Chiefswood Stable’s homebred Portree (PP11, 12-1), trained by Stuart Simon and ridden by Gerry Olguin, finished an excellent fourth in the Plate Trial, just two and one-half lengths behind winner Danish Dynaformer, after leading in mid-stretch. It was just the third career start for the son of Niigon-Eclipse Bay, after winning his first two outings earlier this year. He’ll try to become the eighth Plate winner since 1956 to be sired/foaled by a Plate winner. Chiefswood won the 2004 Plate with their homebred Niigon.
Trainer Mike Keogh will send out Gus Schickedanz’s homebred Sweet Grass Creek (PP6, 20-1), a son of Wando-Sweet Bama Breeze and a one-time winner in five starts. Keogh and Schickedanz teamed to win the 1999 Plate with Woodcarver, then captured the Triple Crown with Hall of Famer Wando in 2003. Jesse Campbell, who took the 2013 Plate aboard front-running Midnight Aria, has the mount.
Tucci Stables’ Easy Indygo (PP10, 30-1), another son of Marchfield, out of Real Scoop, was also purchased at the Ocala Two-Year-olds in training sale for $60,000, has won once in seven starts. Tucci Stables’ won the 2013 Plate with Midnight Aria, while trainer Nick Gonzalez conditioned both Midnight Aria and 2010 Plate winner Big Red Mike. Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson is the only female rider to win the Plate in 2007 with Mike Fox.
Canyon Farms’ B.C. homebred Ault (PP3, 30-1) will try to become the fourth horse since 1952 to break his maiden in the Plate, the latest to do so being Scatter the Gold in 2000. To be ridden by David Moran for trainer Dan Vella, the son of English Channel-Montefiore has been a close second in his three Woodbine Polytrack appearances, but out of the money in two grass attempts at Gulfstream Park this winter.
Canyon Farms won the 2012 Plate with another homebred, Strait of Dover, also a son of English Channel, while Vella, in addition to training Strait of Dover, won the 1994 Plate with Basqueian. Moran finished third in the 2010 Plate aboard Oaks winner Roan Inish.
Preston Stables’ Milwaukee Mist (PP12, 30-1), a son of Milwaukee Brew, has campaigned at Turfway Park, Keeneland and Churchill Downs, winning one of six starts. Trained by Pavel Matejka, Milwaukee Mist will be ridden by Gary Boulanger, who won the 2001 Plate with Oaks winner Dancethruthedawn.
Of the 14 starters in this year’s Plate, 12 have connections (owner, trainer and/or jockey) who have previously won the Plate. Four horses in the field – Breaking Lucky, Milwaukee Mist, Oakton and Portree – did not start at two. Eye of the Leopard (2009), Scatter The Gold (2000) and Awesome Again (1997) are the latest Plate winners who did not race as two-year-olds.
The Queen’s Plate is the first leg in the Canadian Triple Crown. The second leg is the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, at one mile and three-sixteenths on Tuesday, July 28 at Fort Erie, while the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, at one mile and one-half on the grass, August 16 at Woodbine, comprises the third and final leg. There have been seven Triple Crown winners since the concept was inaugurated in 1959, the first being New Providence in 1959, the latest being Wando in 2003.
Since 1956, the stakes record for the Plate is 2:01 4/5, set by Izvestia in 1990, when he also won by the largest margin, 13 lengths. Strait of Dover, the 2012 winner, owns the fastest Polytrack time since 2007 of 2:01.99. The longest-priced winner in the modern era (since 1956) is T J’s Lucky Moon ($166) in 2002 while Maternal Pride is the highest-priced winner of all time, paying $193.35 in 1924. Since 1956, favourites have won 22 of 59 runnings (37.2%). However, Wando in 2003, and Eye of the Leopard in 2009, are the only Plate favourites to win in the last 20 editions.
Three other stakes, all of them on the grass, will be part of the Queen’s Plate Day undercard – the $200,000 Dance Smartly, at one mile and one-eighth at 3:02 p.m., the $150,000 Singspiel at one and one-half miles at 4:18 p.m. and the $200,000 Highlander at six furlongs at 4:53 p.m. First race post time is 12 Noon.
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