Many of the onlookers who know something about racing and the King’s Plate essentially are giving the August 15 Plate to LUSTER following her 5 1/2 length romp in the Woodbine Oaks.
The steel grey daughter of the brilliant Knicks Go from the mare Ruby Frost by The Factor always looked like a winner in the $500,000 Oaks (plus Ontario-bred bonuses) under American Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, tracking longshot front-runner Kinzie Girl and then swooping by with little urging.
Trained by Josie Carroll, a Hall of Famer, for Americans Gainesway Farm and Andrew Rosen, Luster was expected to win by at least the sharpest handicappers and most of the fans who made her 70 cents on the dollar against six rivals. Luster had won the Grade 3 Selene Stakes in her previous race with Fraser Aebly riding and that was her third win in four races.
Her Oaks rivals included a pair of Dale Desruisseaux fillies with great resumes: Piper’s Gift had three stakes wins including the 7 furlong Fury in her last start and Dixie Law was third behind Luster and Oaks rival Katie’s Grace in the Selene.
Piper’s Gift’s stablemate, Chiefswood’s Bold Time was in with a chance and then two very rank outsiders, Kinzie Girl and maiden Red Guitar, were tossed in, the latter at a supplemental cost of $12,500.
As Luster cantered under the wire in 1:50.99, scribes were comparing her time to the previous race, the Plate Trial, which went in 1:52.17.
The Daily Racing Form assigned Beyer Speed Figures of 97 for Luster and 85 for Highwaytothemoon.
So once again, a filly looks like the boss for the Plate, which has been won by gals such as Caitlinhergrtness, Moira, Wonder Gadot, Lexie Lou, etc.
Luster was a $50,000 weanling purchase by Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall, seeking to re-sell for profit. Brogden, who re-named the filly Luster from her original name Sweet Selena, got $80,000 for her at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2024. Signing the ticket for Gainesway and Andrew Rosen at the sale was Gainesway’s Ben Gowans and Andrew Beck, son of Gainesway owner Antony Beck.
Luster was bred by Ravi Sugrim and his wife Joannie Dass, who currently live in Ottawa. Sugrim has owned a couple of horses and bred a couple of horses and certainly hit the jackpot with Ruby Frost, who now lives at Gainesway Farm.
The Plate Top 10 from Canadian Thoroughbred is sticking with MAGICAL FACTOR from Chiefswood Stables as its number 1 Plate contender, but Luster is a close second.
KING’S PLATE TOP CONTENDERS – top 15
1. MAGICAL FACTOR (90)
2. LUSTER
3. BRACHETTO (90)
4. HIGHWAYTOTHEMOON
5. MILITARY TIME (81)
6. DON IQUE
7. IMYOURMEDICINEMAN
8. DIXIE LAW – filly (86)
9. CASSON
10. BOLD TIME.
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