All six of the entrants for Saturday’s Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine are horses seeking to book their ticket to the King’s Plate on August 15. In a rarity, there are no shippers in the graded race at 1 1/16 miles.
And there are few shippers in the five graded stakes on the Saturday card in total, which should leave the door open for the locals to scoop the purses.
The Marine, race 6, has lured champion jockey KAZUSHI KIMURA back to Woodbine to partner MAGICAL FACTOR for Chiefswood Stable and trainer Rachel Halden. The gelding by The Factor broke his maiden with Kimura at Keeneland before a recent second-place finish to older stablemate Saugeen in an optional race. Magical Factor as been atop the King’s Plate contenders’ list on Canadian Thoroughbred since April.
His competition in the Marine could come from King Corrie Stakes winner CASSON (Caravaggio), who is trying 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta for the first time, and perhaps BRACHETTO, a Vekoma colt who was third in the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes.
Coronation Futurity winner of 2025, FIRE AND WINE, will seek to rebound from a dull season opener when sixth in the King Corrie and the Lexitonian front-runner is sure to be gunning for the early lead. YUKON STRIKER, unbeaten in two sprints, will try a route distance for TEC Stable and YOSHII, also unbeaten in two sprints, goes for Centennial Farms.
Race 8 is the Grade 3 Selene for three-year-old fillies and three of top four leading fillies for the Oaks are in the field. DIXIE LAW has the rail and Rafael Hernandez for Hillsbrook Farm while Chiefswood’s BOLD TIME has post three with Eswan Flores and LUSTER, owned by Andrew Rosen and Gainesway Farm is in gate 2 with Fraser Aebly. Mark Casse has sent up CLASSIC MOVE from Florida and TULIP comes in for trainer Will Walden.
Also on the card is the Highlander Stakes at 5 furlongs on turf, the Dominion Day Stakes (G3) and Royal North Stakes (G3), the lone stakes with a big field.
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