JOHNNY V. – THE KENTUCKY DERBY, and the QUEEN’S PLATE??
Who was the last jockey to win both the Derby and the Plate in the same year…hmmm..think Todd Pletcher!
KENT DESORMEAUX rode REAL QUIET to Derby glory and then guided Arches Bay home in the 1998 Plate for Eugene Melnyk and Pletcher.
John Velasquez won the Derby on ANIMAL KINGDOM, rides Queen’splatekitten for Pletcher
hmmmmm.
Johnny V (on AnimalKingdom) if Queen’splatekitten wins, all the prize money leaves the country!
BLOCKBUSTER RACING AT WOODBINE SATURDAY
The weather has been wet and grey but things begin to turn today and by tomorrow, QUEEN’S PLATE DAY, it will be perfect for racing.
Today, there are 4 (YES, FOUR!!) stakes events at Woodbine including the KING EDWARD (formerly the King Edward Gold Cup), at 1 mile on the turf.
Champion GRAND ADVENTURE is back from a soggy run behind Stormy Lord in their latest meeting and the turf is bound to be a bit squishy again.
There seems to be a ton of speed in the field and that should make the race come down to SILVER ROCK, SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN and the imposing FIFTY PROOF.
KING EDWARD S.-GII, $250,000, 3yo/up, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Grand Adventure Grand Slam Husbands Frostad 123
2 Fifty Proof Whiskey Wisdom Stein Black 121
3 Silver Rock El Prado (Ire) Bridgmohan Casse 117
4 Woodbourne Danzig Contreras Tiller 117
5 Hailstone K City Zip Campbell Casse 117
6 Court of the Realm K Powerscourt (GB) Da Silva Berringer 117
7 Hollinger Black Minnaloushe Pizarro Attfield 117
8 Workin for Hops City Zip Wilson Stidham 123
9 Artic Fern Langfuhr Clark Keogh 117
10 Merkabah Theatrical (Ire) Jones Carroll 117
11 Society’s Chairman Not Impossible (Ire) Gomez Attfield 121
Also today is the TRILLIUM STAKES, which used to be the HIll ‘n’ Dale Stakes but with that sponsorship over, the track re-named it (although honouring a horse, rather than our provincial flower may be a better idea?). That race marks the return to Woodbine of champion MILWAUKEE APPEAL, who has not won in 15 races but almost tok the Grade 1 Spinster last year at Keeneland.
Curiously, the mare has recently been moved to trainer Ralph Biamonte’s barn, from Scott Fairlie.
The Trillium should go to shipper UPPERLINE.
The CHARLIE BARLEY, on turf, is for 3yos and trainer Chad Brown, invading from the States, may finally get his first Woodbine win with WALKER’S LANDING.
And the MY DEAR STAKES has 14 2yo fillies entered and it should be a wild event.
There are soME hot ones who have raced in there such as MORE THAN MINTED, PLUS ONE, HOPE FOR A WIN and then there are firsters who are promising such as TU ENDI WEI, a half sister to Horse of the Year BIOFUEL.
QUEEN’S PLATE COVERAGE
KITTEN READY TO POUNCE
The JOurney of QUEEN’SPLATEKITTEN
TORONTO STAR
A Queen’s Plate winner can come from anywhere but there would be few more fitting winners of Sunday’s 152nd running of Canada’s most prestigious horse race than Queen’splatekitten.
Yep, that is the name of the sleek, dark bay colt, the second favourite for the 1 1/4-mile Canadian classic behind Charles Fipke’s brilliant colt Check Your Soul.
Queen’splatekitten (post 14) was one of 17 Canadian-born 3-year-olds entered Thursday in the Plate, the most entrants since the 1999 edition. The post-position draw was co-hosted by Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos…
http://www.thestar.com/sports/horseracing/article/1013817–kitten-ready-to-pounce-in-plate
GLOBE& MAIL
BEVERLEY SMITH
Trainer Bob Tiller ran his first horse in a Queen’s Plate 36 years ago. It must have seemed like an easy game for a 26-year-old youngster in the business to send out a 53 to 1 shot that finished second in 1975.
But it isn’t so easy to actually win one, Tiller has discovered. He’s had two second-place finishes and two thirds in 10 starts since, and he’s back this time with a stout, flashy colt with the right sort of name (Oh Canada) to finally break through.
Except that this year of all years, Oh Canada will be facing the best quality field of Plate horses seen in many years. Obviously, Canadian breeders have been doing something right.
All winter, Canadian-breds inspired chatter in the months leading up to the Kentucky Derby when several of them competed in prep races.
Bowman’s Causeway, the 6 to 1 fourth choice in the field, ran in the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby earlier this year. Inglorious, the only filly in the race and the richest among all entrants with earnings of $650,000, appeared headed for the Kentucky Oaks before finishing fourth in the Fair Grounds Oaks, her feet stung by the track surface. After that, trainer Josie Carroll decided to take advantage of all of the stakes races open to her at home.
BUFFALO NEWS
GENE KERSCHNER
TORONTO — Canada’s most famous horse race takes center stage Sunday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack with the 152nd running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate. North America’s oldest continuously run stakes race will send 17 starters to the gate, the biggest field since 1999 for the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown.
The second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown is the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track, slated for July 17. The Breeders’ Stakes, the third leg, is scheduled for Aug. 7 at Woodbine.
This year’s Plate is shaping up to conclude in a historic result. The number of potential record-breaking results is there for the offing.
The biggest accomplishment would be trainer Roger Attfield winning a record-breaking ninth Queen’s Plate with 3-1 morning line favorite Check Your Soul. Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva will be looking to win an unprecedented third consecutive Queen’s Plate aboard Bowman’s Causeway (6-1) after winning the past two Plates aboard Eye of the Leopard and Big Red Mike.
Inglorious (9-2) will look to be the first filly since Dancethruthedawn…
read more
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/other/horse-racing/article467555.ece
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WOODBINE WRAP
So who’s hot heading into the 12-race card tomorrow at Woodbine, Plate day?
On Thursday, jockey EMMA-JAYNE WILSON won a pair of races while trainer MARK CASSE sent out ROCK THE MOON (Malibu Moon) to win her maiden as a big favourite in a maiden allowance.
Those DONVER folks, Vern and Donna Dubinsky, were at it again as UNFORGETABLE FU, an ONtario bred by Fusaichi Pegasus, won his maiden in a maiden allowance over firster CANDY BULL (Candy Bull) from the Phil Gracy Stable.
That race produced a ‘WOODS-ACTA’ as the winner was raised at Gail Wood’s Woodlands Farm and the runner-up is owned by Wood.
FRIDAY, Casse had the firster QUEEN STREET BEACH well prepared t win race 5, a maiden allowance for 3 and ups. The son of local sire PAYNES BAY was outrun early but a pair of Old Forester offspring maing their debuts went way too fast on the pace, 21 and change etc. and the Eugene Melnyk homebred swept past under Patrick Husbands.
Also on Friday, there were 3 claims of 2yos from race 6 and all were made by BEAR STABLES LTD. Two, Break of Hearts and Harlan’s Panther, were claimed by Mike DepUalo and FLATTER FLIRT was taken by Reade Baker.
The winner was the Five Star Day beginner GENES NORTHERNSTAR.
The Ontario sire PHILANTHROPIST (PENDER hARBOUR AND HIPPOLYTUS IN THE PLATE) had offspring finish 1-2 in the 8th race, an allowance for 3yos.
The giant NANIMO, owned by Ray Noble, overcame serious trouble on the turn to win over WONDER PHIL. The latter is a Frank DiGiulo Jr. – Robert Tiller number (Ph Canada in the Plate).
LONGRUN/WOODBINEe and those cool saddle towels!
TORONTO, June 23 – Woodbine Entertainment Group, in partnership with LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, will once again give horse racing aficionados a chance to take home a piece of history, courtesy of a unique fundraiser in conjunction with this year’s Queen’s Plate, Canada’s most famous horse race.
Each of the starters in the 152nd edition of the Plate will wear customized saddlecloths that will be autographed by the jockey following the race and then auctioned exclusively on eBay. The auction will be starting June 27 in the late afternoon and will close at noon, July 5, 2011 with all proceeds going to LongRun Retirement Society.
The opening bid for each saddlecloth is $250.
Vicki Pappas, Chairperson of LongRun, expects another huge response to the highly sought-after collectible saddlecloths.
“We and our horses at LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society are most fortunate to be operating within the Ontario racing industry, perhaps the most compassionate and generous group of horse people anywhere,” said Pappas.
“Woodbine has always been a leader in assisting with the placement of our deserving athletes once their racing careers are over,” continued Pappas. “The innovative idea of auctioning off those beautiful saddlecloths worn by entrants in our most prestigious race, The Queen’s Plate, was hatched four years ago by WEG’s Jane Holmes and Steven Koch.”
For more information, please visit the LongRun Retirement website – – http://longrunretirement.com
