Stronach Stables’ VERY SPECIAL is the lone maiden in the field and the colt is a son of GHOSTZAPPER, who has sired Plate winners Shaman Ghost and Moira. The colt has had just three races, but was actually in the starting gate on July 19 for a maiden race, but he got fractious and had to be scratched. He was vanned back to trainer Kevin Attard’s barn.
“A horse beside him acted up and he got upset and he sat down,” said Stronach Stables’ consultant Dan Vella. “He was fine, they just used precaution to get him back to the barn.”
Vella said Very Special is a talented colt who will get the distance. “He’s still developing and Kevin thinks he has shown talent to be in the race.” Attard has won three of the last four King’s Plates.
Very Special will have blinkers on for the first time, an equipment change that Vella made as trainer of 1994 Plate starter Basqueian. He won.
More Adena Springs, plus Red Cabernet
The Stronach breeding program is also responsible for Gary Barber and St. Elias Stables’ colt MILITARY TIME (Gun Runner), who will also have blinkers on for the first time. Sold by Adena at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale, Military Time is the first foal out of the Woodbine stakes winner RED CABERNET, a daughter of Ontario sire SIGNATURE RED.
Red Cabernet was one of the first horses ever raced by Jim Menzies and his Piano Bar Stable. A $30,000 yearling purchase locally in 2015, Red Cabernet was trained by Ian Black and she won three stakes races and earned over $388,000.
Red Cabernet’s dam Gold Leaf Rose was bred by Adena Springs and she raced for Windhaven and Nick DeToro. Gold Leaf Rose was later bought by Paul Buttigieg, who bred Red Cabernet.
Cheering from Chicago
Jeff Yingling, founder of Energy Capital Ventures in Chicago, is excited about the colt he co-bred with Mike Cooke, Don Ique (pronounced Don E K), being in the 167th King’s Plate.
“He’s going to be coming late,” said Yingling. “I bet he can get a piece.”
Yingling is familiar with Woodbine racing as he has raced horses in Ontario with trainers such as Dan Vella and Gail Cox. His most recent runner at Woodbine was stakes winner Hunt, who is one of Yingling’s two broodmares.
“My grandfather had horses and my father had horses,” he said. “I love watching and betting on racing.”
Yingling came about Don Ique’s dam Iquique (Fr) (pronounced ee kee kay) when he saw the daughter of Grade 1 winner Cacique (Ire) her in a French yearling sale in 2015. “I really liked the horse Cacique (Ire). He’s by Danehill and he’s a full brother to champions likes Banks Hill, Dansili, Champs Elysee and Intercontinental. But he did not have a lot of foals; he had fertility problems.”
Yingling reached out to bloodstock agent James McHale overseas and he bought Iquique for about $79,000 (US). She raced 12 times and won three races. Yingling bred her to Mizzen Mast, but that foal did not race and Don Ique, by Astern (Aus) is her second foal. Yingling has a two-year-old by Temple City out of the mare, who is owned by Mike Cooke, co-breeder of Don Ique. (Read more about Don Ique here.)
Baaeed Alynna
Baaeed is Arabic for ‘leader’ and Alynna can mean ‘noble’ and this handsome chestnut colt is one of two in the race for trainer Kevin Attard. Baaeed Alynna is interesting, since he was foaled in Lucan, Ontario, and bought by the newly-formed syndicate Tagermeen Racing, LLC. Tagermeen is made up of five Libyan horse owners. Baaeed Alynna broke his maiden first time out this season and was recently sixth in the Plate Trial.
Post times and Pickets
Woodbine is no stranger to union unrest over the years and it has had plenty of picketers outside the track during various strikes or lock-outs. But it is the Great Canadian Gaming security workers at the casino at Woodbine who are on strike currently. Great Canadian employees at Pickering Casino and Ajax Casino are also on strike and have been blocking the parking lots in the past week. Woodbine recommends arriving at the track early to avoid being delayed coming in to park.
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