Conquest Curlinate
gr.c. 3, by Curlin—Higher World
by Peaks and Valleys
Owner: Conquest Stables LLC. Trainer: Mark Casse. Breeder: Charles Hayden (ON)
$70,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2013
DI = 3.57 CD = 0.88
Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell jumped into thoroughbred ownership just two years ago and in that short time have already collected three championships. The couple from Highland Park, IL raced both the champion two-year-old colt, Conquest Typhoon, and filly, Conquest Harlanate. As enthusiastic supporters of Canadian racing, Semersky and Newell have purchased plenty of Canadian-bred yearlings and two-year-olds and in the spring of 2015, they had several Plate contenders.
Conquest Curlinate is one of those, but this long-winded, powerful grey colt had some other big fish to fry before he returned to Canada. A maiden winner in January at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, AK, Conquest Curlinate just missed winning the Illinois Derby (Grade 3) by a scant nose at Hawthorne in April and followed that run up with a second-place finish at Belmont Park in the Peter Pan Stakes (Grade 2). The plan for the colt was to attempt to quash the Triple Crown sweep of American Pharoah in the June 6 Belmont Stakes.
Charles Hayden of Granton, ON bred Conquest Curlinate and his daughter-in-law bred another Plate contender, Breaking Lucky.
Shaman Ghost
b.c.3, by Ghostzapper—Getback Time, by Gilded Time
Owner: Stronach Stables
Trainer: Brian Lynch. Breeder: Adena Springs (ON)
Homebred
DI = 3.50 CD = 0.83
The late developing Shaman Ghost could be Frank and Elfreide Stronach’s first Queen’s Plate winner since their great colt Awesome Again won in 1997. The Stronachs have won two Plates (Basqueian won it in ‘94), but it has been the breeding operation under the name Adena Springs that has been the focus of the family in the last decade. Adena has been a perennial leader in North America on the breeders list and has raced horses throughout the continent including at Woodbine.
Shaman Ghost began his career at Woodbine in October, 2014 with a fourth-place finish in a sprint race. He wintered in Florida at Gulfstream Park with trainer Brian Lynch and he won his maiden on March 14. That was followed by an allowance win at Keeneland on the dirt and then a fast finish to win the Marine Stakes (Grade 3) on May 16. Young American jockey Rafael Hernandez rides Shaman Ghost whose broodmare sire is Gilded Time, a leading sire in Alberta.
Ami’s Flatter
b.c.3, by Flatter—Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop.
Owner: Ivan Dalos
Trainer: Josie Carroll. Breeder: Tall Oaks Farm (Ivan Dalos) (ON)
Homebred
DI = 3.33 CD 0.85
Longtime Ontario owner and breeder Ivan Dalos had one of Canada’s top three-year colts of 2014 in Ami’s Holiday, who won the Breeders’ Stakes, the third jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown. Dalos has raced many top class runners and Ami’s Flatter may be one of his best. The colt had a tough but fruitful winter in Florida with trainer Josie Carroll as he finished second in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes and, later second in the Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2) and third in the Florida Derby (Grade 1). Upon his return to Woodbine, Ami’s Flatter had a bit of a setback when seventh in the Marine Stakes (Grade 3) behind Shaman Ghost, but that was his first race in two months. Carroll has won Plates with Edenwold and Inglorious.
Danzig Moon
b.c. 3, by Malibu Moon—Leaveninthedust, by Danzig.
Owner: John Oxley Trainer: Mark Casse.
Breeder: William Graham (ON)
$160,000 Keeneland September yearling
purchase in 2013
DI = 3.44 CD = 0.88
Trainer Mark Casse was on top of the Canadian racing world one year ago when he won his first Queen’s Plate with the filly Lexie Lou, owned by Gary Barber. Woodbine’s perennial leading trainer could be back with a handful of major contenders in 2015 including several who were competitive in some tough American races in the spring.
Danzig Moon, a handsome bay with a thick, white blaze, has never raced at Woodbine as he began his career in Kentucky in October, 2014. He won his maiden in his first race as a sophomore at Gulfstream on the dirt on Feb. 7 and then took on the best three-year-olds in his next four races. Following a fourth-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2), Danzig Moon finished second in the Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 1) and then put in a strong bid to be fifth in the Kentucky Derby (Grade 2) behind American Pharoah.
Danzig Moon headed back to Woodbine following a sixth-place finish over a deep, sloppy track in the Preakness Stakes (Grade 2). Owner John Oxley, an Oklahoma oilman, has won the Derby, but never the Plate. He purchased Danzig Moon from breeder Bill Graham for $160,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Danish Dynaformer
b.c. 3, by Dynaformer—Danish Wildcat, by Danehill
Owner/breeder: Charles Fipke (ON)
Trainer: Roger Attfield
DI = 1.57 CD = 0.33
The main storyline for a win by Danish Dynaformer in the 156th Queen’s Plate would centre on one man: trainer Roger Attfield. A member of the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Attfield has won eight Plates tying him with Harry Giddings who won his Plates in the early 1900s.
One of Attfield’s Plate wins came with Not Bourbon, who was also owned and bred by Charles Fipke, the well known diamond miner from Vancouver. Danish Dynaformer is very different from the speedy Not Bourbon as he is a long distance specialist who has been developing this spring in turf races in Florida and Kentucky. Upon his return to Woodbine and the Polytrack surface, Danish Dynaformer finished third in the Marine Stakes (Grade 3) behind Shaman Ghost after some early traffic trouble.
Danish Dynaformer is a son of the late sire Dynaformer, one of the top class studs in the U.S. in the last decade.
London Tower
b.f. 3 by Head Chopper—Mrs. Donaghy, by Military.
Owner/trainer/breeder: Steve Owens (ON)
DI = 3.00 CD = 0.83
Longtime Ontario trainer Steve Owens began breeding his own small group of horses in 2010 when his classy stakes winning horse Head Chopper retired. Owens and his wife Beverly operate Empress Stables in Kleinburg, ON and bred one or two mares to Head Chopper each year with remarkable results.
One of the foals from that breeding is the tall bay filly London Tower, who began 2015 with a stretch-running score in the Fury Stakes on May 3, her third win in four career races. While a leading contender for the Woodbine Oaks three weeks before the Plate, last year’s Oaks winner Lexie Lou did beat the boys in the “Gallop for the Guineas.”
Breaking Lucky
ch.c. 3, by Lookin at Lucky—Shooting Party, by Sky Classic.
Owner: Gunpowder Farms LLC. Trainer: Reade Baker. Breeder: Christie Hayden (ON)
$100,000 Keeneland November mixed (weanling) purchase in 2012
DI = 1.89 CD = 0.50
Tom Keithley knows all about risk management and it appears as if the $100,000 he paid for Breaking Lucky as a weanling in 2012 might pay off. Keithley’s Gunpowder Farms, LLC won its first race in 2014 and has a select group of runners for 2015. Keithley is former vice-president of risk management and chief officer for Bill Me Later, an instant credit platform that was later purchased by eBay.
Conquest Typhoon
b.c. 3, by Stormy Atlantic – Swanky Bubbles, by Ascot Knight
Owner: Conquest Stables LLC.
Trainer: Mark Casse.
Breeder: Josham Farms Limited Ltd. (ON)
$330,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2013
DI = 3.00 CD = 0.79
The 2014 Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Conquest Typhoon has been a road warrior since he left Woodbine in the fall of 2014. The winner of the Summer Stakes (Grade 2) at Woodbine on grass went to California where he finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and then won the Cecile De Mille Stakes (Grade 3) at Del Mar. As a three-year-old, Conquest Typhoon finished third in the El Camina Real Derby (Grade 3) at Golden Gate and second in the Spiral Stakes (Grade 2) at Turfway Park. A synthetic dirt lover, Conquest Typhoon has been ridden by American Mike Smith who was expected to partner the colt in the Plate.
Ted Burnett’s Josham Farms Ltd. bred Conquest Typhoon.
Bear At Last
dk.b.c. 3 by Marchfield—Clayton’s Lass, by Forest Camp
Owner: Bear Stables Ltd.
Trainer: Reade Baker.
Breeder: Michael C. Byrne (ON)
$80,000 CTHS Sale yearling purchase in 2013
DI = 2.60 CD = 0.61
Danny Dion’s Bear Stables has been a major player in Ontario racing for a decade and his horses have raced with success on the international stage. It would be fitting if the ‘Bear’ won the Queen’s Plate in 2015 with a colt by the name of Bear at Last as the Bonnyville, AB resident has never won the Plate.
Beat At Last has been improving from race to race, much like his sire, Marchfield did when he was racing. A maiden winner as a two-year-old in six races, Bear At Last finished third in the Kingarvie Stakes in his first year of racing. After wintering in Florida and racing twice on grass at Gulfstream Park with fringe placings, the colt came back to Woodbine and finished a close third in the Wando Stakes behind two American-bred colts, U.S. Marshal and Seventhfleethumor.
Billy’s Star
b.c. 3, by Perfect Soul (Ire)—Tapatina, by Seeking the Gold
Owner: Perfect Timber Partnership
Trainer: Roger Attfield. Breeder: Charles Fipke (ON)
$170,000 CTHS Sale yearling purchase in 2013
DI = 1.88 CD = 0.53
He was one of Canada’s most expensive auction yearlings in 2013 at $170,000, but for a few races in 2014, it appeared as if Billy’s Star was going to be plagued by bad luck for much of his career. One of his most troubled runs was his fourth-place finish in the Cup & Saucer Stakes on the grass in October when he had heavy traffic trouble in the stretch run. As a three-year-old, Billy’s Star came off a rough trip to win his maiden at Woodbine on May 8 and, in the process, gave the Perfect Timer Partnership, which includes breeder Charles Fipke, a chance at a trip to the Plate.
Field of Courage
dk.b.c. 3, by Marchfield—Miss Crissy, by Bold n’ Flashy
Owner: John Oxley Trainer: Mark Casse. Breeder: Cavendish Investing Ltd. (ON)
$70,000 CTHS Sale yearling purchase in 2013
DI = 3.00 CD = 0.79
Ontario-bred Field of Courage has improved quickly for trainer Mark Casse since he finished eighth in his career debut on Aug. 27, 2014. In fact, the son of champion Marchfield won his next three races including an allowance race on May 10 over Breaking Lucky. Field of Courage was purchased by John Oxley at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society for $70,000 and the colt is from the multiple stakes-winning mare Miss Crissy, an Ontario-sired mare who has produced stakes winners Good Better Best and Mesa Cielo.
