Sunday is King’s Plate Day at Woodbine and a full field of Canadian-bred three-year-olds will attempt to win the most glorious crown in racing in this country.
Some of the best Canadian-breds in training are in action in other races on Sunday also including the 2022 Plate winner and last year’s Horse of the Year, MOIRA, who heads the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes, and arguably the best Canadian-bred three-year-old, at least in Ontario, PATCHES O’HOULIHAN, who tries older runners in the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes.
There are two stakes races on the grass for two-year-olds, the Catch a Glimpse for fillies and the Soaring Free for colts, and those races are stepping stones to the Grade 1 Natalma and Summer Stakes, respectively.
MOIRA (Ghostzapper) has been second three times in four races since she won the Plate last August. One of those second-place finishes was unofficial, however, as she was disqualified from a big effort in the E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) – losing second and being placed eighth. The Kevin Attard trained star is all set to break through for a win in the Dance Smartly at 1 1/16 miles on turf. She was recently second on turf which was quite soft for the Nassau Stakes (G2) and the winner that day, Fev Rover, just won the Beverly D. (G1) Stakes at Colonial Downs.
Interestingly, Rafael Hernandez, who rode Moira to her Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate romps last year, is back on board the four-year-old after he was replaced by Kazushi Kimura for her two Canadian starts this year.
There are a few shippers in the Dance Smartly, named after another Plate winner (and Triple Crown, Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner). JUSTIFY MY LOVE (Brz), a grey six-year-old by Agnes Gold (Jpn), comes off a win in the Indiana General Assembly Distaff Stakes at Indianapolis. It was her second win in North America since she came from Argentina in early 2022. Paulo Lobo trains the five-time winner. There is also SALIMAH (Ire) in the field, also a grey, and she has four wins in six races for trainer Chad Brown and owner Stephanie Seymour Brant. She just won her 2023 opener at Saratoga last month.
And speedy MISS DRACARYS comes in for trainer Neil Drysdale who has raced this mare in New York since 2021. Unraced since November, Miss Dracarys is by Malibu Moon and in her last outing she won the Forever Together Stakes at Aqueduct.
The BOLD VENTURE STAKES (G3), inaugurated in 1956, is named after the 1936 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner who later sired American Triple Crown winner Assault.
Woodbine hosts the 6 1/2 furlong Tapeta sprint and this year’s field has a super 10-horse group including last year’s 1-2 finishers, secret Reserve and Candy Overload, three rockets from the Martin Drexler barn and the amazing Patches O’Houlihan, a winner of five of six races.
Patches O’Houlihan has won two straight stakes races, restricted events for Ontario-sired runners, but he has done so with flair. He comes off a 93 Beyer Figure effort when winning the Lake Superior Stakes by more than six lengths.
This will be a huge test for the Bob Tiller-trained gelding, but there is not much other speed in the field. The Drexler trio includes Border Town, second on July 2 to subsequent stakes winner Dream Shake, Old Chestnut, third in the Jacques Cartier in May and Souper Watson, who has three wins in four races this year.
FIELD FOR THE GRADE 2 $200,000 DANCE SMARTLY
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Souper Hoity Toity – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
2 – Whimsical Dance – Jose Campos – Gail Cox
3 – Ready Lady – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield
4 – Ephrata (GB) – Ryan Munger – Josie Carroll
5 – Justify My Love (BRZ) – Adam Beschizza – Paulo Lobo
6 – Il Malocchio – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler
7 – Salimah (IRE) – Kazushi Kimura – Chad Brown
8 – Moira – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
9 – Miss Dracarys – Javier Castellano – Neil Drysdale
FIELD FOR THE GRADE 3 $150,000 BOLD VENTURE
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Candy Overload – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
2 – Flag of Honour (AUS) – Ryan Munger – Julia Carey
3 – County Final – Juan Crawford – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
4 – Last American Exit – Jose Campos – Harold Ladouceur
5 – Patches O’Houlihan – Daisuke Fukumoto – Robert Tiller
6 – Secret Reserve – Eswan Flores – Mike Mattine
7 – Border Town – Rafael Hernandez – Martin Drexler
8 – Told It All – Luis Contreras – Suzanne Drake
9 – Old Chestnut – Declan Carroll – Martin Drexler
10 – Souper Watson – Kazushi Kimura – Martin Drexler
FIELD FOR THE $125,000 SOARING FREE
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Rhapsody – Kazushi Kimura – Kevin Attard
2 – Motskari – Jason Hoyte – Ted Holder
3 – Please Advise – Patrick Husbands – George Weaver
4 – Ready to Jam – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
5 – Dancing Duchess (S) – Adam Beschizza – Mark Casse
6 – Four Strong Winds – Rafael Hernandez – Catherine Day Phillips
7 – Triple Trea – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Barbara Minshall
8 – Bucyk – Javier Castellano – Kevin Attard
9 – Pontiac – Ryan Munger – Barbara Minshall
10 – Sugar Treat (S) – Adam Beschizza – Mark Casse
11 – Golden Canary (S) – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
FIELD FOR THE $125,000 CATCH A GLIMPSE
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Bolt Enoree – Javier Castellano – Kevin Attard
2 – Sugar Treat (S) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
3 – Golden Canary (S) – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
4 – Crafty Oaks – Rico Walcott – Keith Edwards
5 – Ready to Jam – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
6 – Never Silent – Jose Campos – Catherine Day Phillips
7 – Living Magic – Antonio Gallardo – Phil Schoenthal
8 – Fourfiftyfour – Ryan Munger – Barbara Minshall
9 – Airosa – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
10 – Rosa – Kazushi Kimura – Kevin Attard
11 – Dancing Duchess – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
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