QUEEN’S PLATE DRAW could this be the last Plate?
NICK EAVES was forceful, yet emotional as he put it out there for the media, print and cameras to record. if the provincial government does not change its stance on cancelling the slots at racetracks program, and wiping out the industry, this could be the last Queen’s Plate.
It was a sombre mood that hung over the crowd in the oppressive heat as connections selected their posts for the 14 horses entered in the famous race.
It is the 153rd running, maybe it will be the last. Hey, you SHOULD be mad, YOU SHOULD GET ANGRY, do what you can to tell the terrible D’s Dwight and Dalton, just what in the world they are doing (since they don’t know)
You cannot operate a racetrack with 50% of the revenues from one year to the next.
| Post | Horse |
Owner |
Trainer |
Jockey |
M/L Odds |
| 1 | River Rush | Stronach Stables | Reade Baker | Jim McAleney | 4-1 |
| 2 | Peyton | Windhaven | Mike Doyle | Julien Leparoux | 20-1 |
| 3 | Macho Whiskey | Harlequin | Reade Baker | Emma-Jayne Wilson | 15-1 |
| 4 | Strait of Dover | Canyon Farms | Dan Vella | Justin Stein | 3-1 |
| 5 | Classic Bryce | Bill Sorokolit | Darwin Banach | Todd Kabel | 12-1 |
| 6 | Wilcox | Melnyk Racing Stables Inc. | Josie Carroll | Tyler Pizarro | 20-1 |
| 7 | Golden Ridge | Melnyk Racing Stables Inc. | Mark Casse | Luis Contreras | 6-1 |
| 8 | Ultimate Destiny | Brenda Selwyn-Waxman | Mike Keogh | Steven Bahen | 20-1 |
| 9 | Colleen’s Sailor | Terra Di Sienna Stables | Roger Attfield | Corey Nakatani | 15-1 |
| 10 | Dixie Strike | John Oxley | Mark Casse | Patrick Husbands | 8-1 |
| 11 | Making Amends | Quintessential Racing Fla., et al | Mark Casse | Eurico Rosa da Silva | 20-1 |
| 12 | Big Creek | Green Hills Farm Inc. | Todd Pletcher | Ramon Dominguez | 10-1 |
| 13 | Washington Dash | Silverton Hill LLC | Darrin Miller | Rajiv Maragh | 50-1 |
| 14 | Irish Mission | Robert Evans | Mark Frostad | Alex Solis | 10-1 |
PEASANT says blaaaaahh, it’s too hot this morning at Woodbine!
POSTS DRAWN THIS MORNING
It is set to be another scorcher, another sticky day so let’s hope the horses are okay this afternoon during racing.
This morning under the trees in the Woodbine walking ring, the post position draw for the Queen’s Plate gets rolling. It is a lengthy event with an order of selection drawn and then the connections choose their posts. MARK TEWKESBURY is the guest host.
Yesterday, COLLEEN’S SAILOR put in his final prep. a :48 breeze for half a mile under Alex Solis. He is the starter for trainer Roger Attfield who goes for his 9th Plate win. The colt is not expected to be less than 15 to 1 and is quite a longshot.
Interesting the top 2 faves in the race, STRAIT OF DOVER and RIVER RUSH are kinda plain, brown horses, with not a not of flash, okay pedigrees, and both are homebreds.
The former was from a mare the owners, Wally and Terry Leong purchased at auction for $125,000, a Danzig mare.
The latter was not sold for $20,000 as a yearling. Not many would give half of that either it seems.
Anyway, goes, to show you, you never know where these runners will come from. GOLDEN RIDGE, the likely third choice at about 4 to 1, is impeccably bred. His sire is Distorted Humor and his dam is Grade 2 winner Indian Vale.
LAST NIGHT AT WOODBINE:
Holding on for 2nd…Gerry Olguin and TWO WONDERS tumble after appearing to clip heels with TEE GAME at the wire of a turf claiming race. Olguin has a sprained ankle and while there was no report on Two Wonders as of last evening, she did run away…
Owner Eugene Melnyk has 2 horses in the Plate including this guy – recent maiden winner WILCOX, a son of Giant’s Causeway. Trainer Josie Carroll has won the Plate twice in recent years. This guy will be a longshot.
Cindy Pierson Dulay photo
HERE’S A LOOK AT THE FIELD AND SOME NOTES:
BIG CREEK – last 3 Beyers from most recent 78, 81, 65
dk b/.c.3 by Indian Charlie(In Excess (IRE)) – Major Idea(Cherokee Run)
Green Hills Farm Inc. Todd A. Pletcher
*No workout since his Plate Trial race, American-owned, owner and jock have not won Plate
CLASSIC BRYCE – 78. 76. 82
dk b/.c.3 by Grand Slam(Gone West) – Classic Stamp(Regal Classic)
William Sorokolit Darwin D. Banach
*Owner and trainer seeking 1st Plate win
COLLEEN’S SAILOR 78,. 76 77
b.c.3 by Northern Afleet(Afleet) – Colleen’s Scorpion(Scorpion)
Terra Di Sienna Stables Roger L. Attfield
*American owned, owner has not won Plate, Attfield going for no, 9, colt has never hit the 80 mark in Beyer Figures
DIXIE STRIKE,69. 89. 77
B.F. Dixie Union – Noble Strike
John Oxley Mark Casse
*Owner and trainer seeking first Plate win
half sister won Oaks/Plate double last year
GOLDEN RIDGE 84, 83, 77
ch.c.3 by Distorted Humor(Forty Niner) – Indian Vale(A.P. Indy)
Melnyk Racing Stable Inc. Mark E. Casse
*Trainer seeks first Plate win
IRISH MISSION, 73, 73, 73
ch.f.3 by Giant’s Causeway(Storm Cat) – Misty Mission(Miswaki)
Robert S. Evans Mark R. Frostad
*American owned, Frostad has won several Plates
MACHO WHISKEY, (would have to be supplemented for $25,000) 76. 84, 69
g. Macho Uno – Whiskey and Low
Harlequin Ranches Reade Baker
*Owner/trainer seek first Plate win, filly Gold Strike came close
MAKING AMENDS 74, 79, 68
b.c.3 by Repent(Louis Quatorze) – Primary Motive(Prime Timber)
Quintessential Racing Florida LLC, Horse’nAround Racing Stable & R. Lederman Mark E. Casse
*Casse seeks first Plate win as do owners
PEYTON 78. 75. 86
dk b/.g.3 by Tale of the Cat(Storm Cat) – Emanating(Cox’s Ridge)
Windhaven Michael J. Doyle
*Owner/trainer looking for 1st Plate
RIVER RUSH 89. 79. 57
b.c.3 by Orientate(Mt. Livermore) – Sweet Tart(Lemon Drop Kid)
Stronach Stables Reade Baker
*Trainer seeks first Plate, as does Jock
STRAIT OF DOVER 88, 84, 85
dk b/.c.3 by English Channel(Smart Strike) – Bahrain Star(Danzig)
Canyon Farms Daniel J. Vella
*Owner/jock seek first Plate win
ULTIMATE DESTINY 77, 68, 66
ch.g.3 by Dance to Destiny(Mr. Prospector) – One On Tap(Pleasant Tap)
Brenda K. Selwyn-Waxman Michael Keogh
*Owner seeks first Plate
WILCOX, 70, 68
Giant’s Causeway – Checker Hall
Eugene MelnyK, Josie Carroll
*Trainer has won 2 of last 3 Plates
WASHINGTON DASH 68, 73, 42
Smart strike – Pretty Dutch
Silverton HIll LLC Darrin Miller
LONGRUN SADDLE TOWELS ON AUCTION
Those with the big bucks cam buy a saddle towel after the race
On behalf of LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, I would like to inform you of a wonderful auction taking place on eBay through the generosity of Woodbine Entertainment Group.
LongRun works directly with owners and trainers at Woodbine Racetrack and Fort Erie Racetrack in Ontario to retire thoroughbreds at the end of their racing careers. The horses are rehabilitated, and their retraining started while being made available for adoption to new forever, loving homes.
Woodbine, for the last several years, has donated the saddlecloths worn by the Queen’s Plate entrants and signed by the jockeys of each horse, to LongRun to auction off on eBay to raise funds for the retired racehorses in their program.
Last year, the auction raised a record $10,000.00, with Plate winner Inglorious’ saddlecloth fetching $4,500.00! We hope that this year’s auction is just as successful. Starting June 26th at noon, and ending July 3rd at noon, bidders have a full week to place their bids!
Attached is the advertisement for the auction taking place, and more information can be found at our website; www.longrunretirement.com. The eBay listings will be found at LongRun’s dedicated eBay profile page here: http://myworld.ebay.ca/longrun1416
We are also happy to announce that eBay/MissionFish has granted LongRun the “eBay Gives” charitable status which means that all eBay fees will be reimbursed to LongRun!
We thank you for your consideration, and hope that you might find a way to help spread the word about this auction, and the deserving horses that the money will help to support!
HANDICAPPING: DOES THE HORSE ‘FIG’-URE?
Speed ratings, speed figures, sheet numbers and graphs. There are many handicapping
tools available for handicappers to use to sort out contenders from pretenders in
any given horse race.
Beyer Speed Figures, formulated by Andy Beyer in 1975 and published in Daily
Racing Form since 1992, is a number assigned to a horse’s performance based on its
time taking into account the speed of the racetrack on any particular day.
Since ‘92, the Beyer ‘par’ for the Plate, the average winning figure, is 96. Any three-year-
old entering the race that has already come close to posting such a number is an
automatic consideration when placing you bet. Projecting a horse that appears to be
peaking up to that plateau is also a handy approach.
Note that the last two Plate Trial winners also went on to win the Plate.
Yr Plate winner Plate winning Beyer Plate Trial Beyer (Plate Trial winner)
1988 REGAL INTENTION 102 – n/a
1989 WITH APPROVAL 99 – n/a
1990 IZVESTIA 113 – n/a
1991 DANCE SMARTLY 102 100
1992 ALYDEED 105 105
1993 PETESKI 101 88 (Circulating)
1994 BASQUEIAN 103 93
1995 REGAL DISCOV’Y 99 96 (All Firmed Up)
1996 VICTOR COOLEY 102 103
1997 AWESOME AGAIN 100 97 (Cryptocloser)
1998 ARCHERS BAY 106 98 (Brite Adam)
1999 WOODCARVER 97 88 (Catahoula Parish)
2000 SCATTER THE GOLD 92 89 (Pete’s Sake)
2001 DANCETHRUTH’N 94 96 (Win City)
2002 T J’S LUCKY MOON 86 89 (Shaws Creek)
2003 WANDO 111 95 (Mobil)
2004 NIIGON 97 97 (A Bit O’Gold)
2005 WILD DESERT 92 92 (Dance With Ravens)
2006 EDENWOLD 94 81 (Pipers Thunder)
2007 MIKE FOX 90 88 (Jiggs Coz)
2008 NOT BOURBON 93 88 (Not Bourbon)
2009 EYE OF THE LEOPARD 92 85 (Eye of the Leopard)
2010 BIG RED MIKE 92 91 (Big Red Mike)
2011 INGLORIOUS 99 90 (Check Your Soul)
(Before 1992, Beyer Figures calculated by the author)
