Trainer Mark Casse, who won his first Queen’s Plate last year with filly Lexie Lou, holds a strong hand for Sunday’$150,000 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine, a traditional prep for Canada’s most famous race, the $1-million Queen’s Plate, scheduled for July 5.
Casse sends out five runners, including the two favourites Danzig Moon and Conquest Curlinate, in the 72nd edition of the Plate Trial, at one mile and one-eighth on Polytrack for Canadian foaled three-year-olds, which will be televised live on TSN as part of a special one and one-half hour presentation on Woodbine Oaks day. Post time for the Plate Trial is 5:10 p.m., while the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, for Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies, goes at 5:45 p.m.
All 13 Plate Trial starters carry 126 pounds, the same weight they’ll carry if they proceed to the mile and one-quarter Queen’s Plate. Since 1944, 25 Plate Trial winners have gone on to win the ‘Gallop for the Guineas’.
John Oxley’s Danzig Moon, a son of Malibu Moon, is the 5-2 Plate Trial morning line choice and will be ridden by Julien Leparoux. While only a one-time winner in seven career outings, Danzig Moon has faced giants this spring while on the U.S. Triple Crown trail. He was fifth in the Kentucky Derby, then sixth in the Preakness to eventual Triple Crown winner and champion American Pharoah.
He was also second and fourth to Carpe Diem in both the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes. However, the field’s leading money winner with $311,120 will be making his Woodbine and Polytrack debut.
Conquest Curlinate, owned by Conquest Stables, has won once in five starts, but enters the Trial off two excellent performances, most recently runner-up to Madefromlucky in the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont Park on May 9, following a nose loss to Whiskey Ticket in the Grade 3 Illinois Derby on April 18 at Hawthorne. The son of two-time U.S. Horse of the Year Curlin, the 7-2 second choice, will be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan. He debuted last year at Woodbine but finished fifth in the six furlong ‘Poly’ event.
Casse’s other starters are Battleofburlington (20-1, Julien Leparoux), Conquest Boogaloo (20-1, Alan Garcia) and Field of Courage (15-1, Patrick Husbands).
Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield, who has won a record-tying eight Queen’s Plates (also eight Plate Trials), will saddle a pair of hopefuls in Danish Dynaformer and Billy’s Star. Charles Fipke’s homebred Danish Dynaformer, the 5-1 third choice and a winner of two in five starts, comes into the Trial off a closing, troubled third-place finish to Shaman Ghost in the mile and one-sixteenth Marine Stakes, May 16 at Woodbine. Luis Contreras rides.
Billy’s Star, a 12-1 outsider who enters off a route maiden breaker on May 8, will have Eurico Rosa da Silva aboard.
Chiefswood Stable’s homebred Portree (20-1, Gerry Olguin) is unbeaten in two starts and is a son of their 2004 Plate winner Niigon.
Completing the field are dual stakes winner Phil’s Cocktail (20-1, David Moran); Bear At Last (20-1, Rico Walcott); Midnight Trace (20-1, John Velazquez); R U Watchingbud (15-1, Emma-Jayne Wilson), winner of the Queenston Stakes in May for owner-trainer John Ross and West Village (8-1, Jose Valdivia Jr.), a recent maiden winner on the turf at Churchill Downs.
$150,000 Plate Trial Stakes, One mile and one-eighth
Sunday, June 14, Woodbine Polytrack
Race 9 Post time: 5:10 p.m.
PP/Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Morning Line Odds
1/Battleofburlington/Julien Leparoux/Mark Casse/20-1
2/Billy’s Star/Eurico Rosa da Silva/Roger Attfield/12-1
3/Conquest Boogaloo/Alan Garcia/Mark Casse/20-1
4/Phil’s Cocktail/David Moran/John LeBlanc Jr./20-1
5/Bear At Last/Rico Walcott/Reade Baker/20-1
6/Midnight Trace/John Velazquez/Graham Motion/20-1
7/Danish Dynaformer/Luis Contreras/Roger Attfield/5-1
8/Portree/Gerry Olguin/Stuart Simon/20-1
9/Field of Courage/Patrick Husbands/Mark Casse/15-1
10/Conquest Curlinate/Shaun Bridgmohan/Mark Casse/7-2
11/R U Watchingbud/Emma-Jayne Wilson/John Ross/15-1
12/Danzig Moon/Julien Leparoux/Mark Casse/5-2
13/West Village/Jose Valdivia Jr./Wayne Catalano/8-1
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