Last weekend’s MARINE STAKES (G3) brought the lightly-raced gelding ESSEX SERPENT (Honor Code) squarely into the picture for the 165th King’s Plate on August 17 and strengthened the hand of trainer Mark Casse for Canada’s biggest race. Essex Serpent, owned and bred by Manfred and Penny Conrad of Wellesley, ON, scored a workmanlike win in the 1 1/16 mile Marine under Patrick Husbands, earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form. The Conrads also saw MIDNIGHT MASCOT (Army Mule) rally from far back under Sahin Civaci to get third in a pleasing outing since the main track at Woodbine that day was favouring speed.
Piper’s Factor, the Chiefswood Stable colt by The Factor, who figured to be the colt to beat in the Marine, never fired and finished fifth, beaten 6 3/4 lengths. The stable has reported that the colt, trained by Katerina Vassilieva, will continue to the Plate.
And Babbo, the Coronation Futurity winner, faded to sixth after setting the pace.
Meanwhile, Casse’s star three-year-old Canadian-bred MY BOY PRINCE, owned by Gary Barber, impressed his trainer with a half-mile workout on June 26 on the Tapeta, 48.40, the bullet for the morning. My Boy Prince will get a chance to show what he has at a longer distance when he competes in the PLATE TRIAL on July 20, which is also Woodbine Oaks day.
Of the 53 horses currently eligible for the Plate, My Boy Prince certainly looks strong, although the speedy grey is unproven around two turns and 1 1/4 miles would be a question. Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot can be considered top contenders.
NO MORE OPTIONS, the Frac Daddy stakes winner owned by Mary Self, had a workout last weekend, 1:02 for 5 furlongs and is headed to the Trial after his third-place finish in the Queenston stakes behind My Boy Prince and Essex Serpent.
Trainer Kevin Attard has a few possible starters for the Plate.
First, the colts: Al and Bill Ulwelling’s pair of PIERRE and JOKESTAR finished side-by-each in an optional claiming race at 1 1/16 miles on June 23. That race featured a wild early pace that set the event up for stretch runners. Older horse Junipero Serra was the winner while Pierre and Jokestar also came from far back to be second and thirdrd separated by a nose. They earned a 79 Beyer Figure. Attard also has a few maidens in Bedard, King Rosso and Bowman’s Run.
Impressive maiden winner FRIENDLY GHOST, who earned a 76 Beyer Figure in his maiden win at 6 furlongs on June 9, is seeking a two-turn race for his next start. He worked 5 furlongs on June 29 in a sharp 1:00 breezing for owner Sue Leslie and trainer Evette Chartand-Hoek. COOLER MAN, owned and trained by Nick Nosowenko, won a two-turn turf race on June 28 with a 72 Beyer Figure.
The fillies may have something to say about the Plate again this year. The Oaks winner is automatically considered a Plate factor but this year’s Oaks field is not very strong at this point.
Indeed, the two fillies racing and training in the US, BA DEE YAH and DAZZLING MOVE, are two of the top contenders although the former has never raced on Tapeta and the latter had two modest sprint efforts at Woodbine last fall.
BA DEE YAH (Uncle Mo) will be tough to beat if she takes to the Tapeta. She won the La Combe Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds at 1 mile and 70 yards in March with an 81 Beyer Figure before she was sixth in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes. In her latest outing at Prairie Meadows, Ba Dee Yah was caught behind a very slow pace and landed third in the Panthers Stakes.
Trainer Tom Amoss worked the filly at Churchill Downs on Tuesday in 48.60 and had to decided what day the Gold Standard Racing Stable (Bill and Mary Stone) filly was headed north.
DAZZLING MOVE, owned by Marc Tacher’s Sonata Stable, worked on June 28 at Fair Hill over the all-weather surface in 1:02.80. Trained by Michael Trombetta, the Not This Time filly won a one-mile dirt allowance/optional race in her most recent start with an 83 Beyer Figure. She won her maiden in the slop at Gulfstream at one mile with an 86 Beyer.
Canuck Racing Club’s WAR PAINTER (Danish Dynaformer) is a strong factor for the local fillies, although she is becoming known as one who tends to stall a bit when she gets the lead. Trained by Kevin Attard, War Painter was caught late in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes last fall and was second by a head to stablemate Inudation. In her 2024 opener when she was 1-to-9, she did not pass longshot Novel and lost by a nose. Most recently she came from off a slow pace and worked hard to win by half a length with a 74 Beyer Figure.
WAR PAINTER had a big workout on June 29, speeding 5 furlongs in company with Horse of the Year MOIRA in 59.80.
Attard has CAITLINHERGRTNESS working strongly for the Oaks. The Omaha Beach filly is a one-time winner from four races and she was fourth in a sprint in February at Gulfstream.
HURRICANE CLAIR won a two-turn, inner turf race on June 23 with a 74 Beyer Figure. The stakes-winning daughter of Silent Name (Jpn) was fourth in the Princess Elizabeth last year for owner David Robothman and partners.
BRAVO KATE, fourth in the Fury Stakes, had a big workout on June 30, 59.80 for 5 furlongs, and she is trained by Sid Attard for Spruce Park Stable (Jim Lawson).
KIN’S CONCERTO was a good second to a US-bred filly in her latest on June 22, earning a 75 Beyer Figure. The Mendelssohn filly is a Chiefswood homebred who was placed first for her only win.
INUDATION, the Princess Elizabeth winner, was disappointing in her season opener when last of seven behind Kin’s Concerto. Other possible Oaks starts include LITTLE TEDDY, a sprint winner on May 25, SACCHARINE, second in a maiden race on June 1, and MORE MONEY HUNNY, who was sixth in the Fury Stakes at too short a distance.
WOODBINE OAKS TOP 10
1. DAZZLING MOVE
2. BA DEE YAH
3. WAR PAINTER
4. INUDATION
5. HURRICANE CLAIR
6. KIN’S CONCERTO
7. BRAVO KATE
8. CAITLINHERGRTNESS
9. MORE MONEY HUNNY
10. MY GIRL DELLA
KING’S PLATE TOP 15
1. MY BOY PRINCE (Casse)
2. ESSEX SERPENT (Casse)
3. MIDNIGHT MASCOT (Casse)
4. NO MORE OPTIONS (Krcmar)
5. PIPER’S FACTOR (Vassilieva)
6. PIERRE (K Attard)
7. JOKESTAR (K Attard)
8. DAZZLING MOVE (M Trombetta)
9. BA DEE YAH (T Amoss)
10. WAR PAINTER (K Attard)
11. INUDATION (k Attard)
12. ROSCAR (R Halden)
13. FRIENDLY GHOST (E Chartrand-Hoek)
14. HURRICANE CLAIR (M Drexler)
15. KIN’S CONCERTO (J Carroll)
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