Queen Looks For King’s Plate Glory

[Wandering Eyes]

ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO — There are those that will often lament the things that are wrong with horse racing. However, a stroll around Woodbine's ever-expanding facilities go a long way in dispensing with some of those notions.

The opening of the Great Canadian Casino-Resort has ushered in a next-level racetrack experience offering rooms with panoramic views of Woodbines expansive E.P. Taylor racecourse while proving all the services and amenities that one might expect at a modern Casino hotel. If one enjoys racing and a myriad of gaming products with a wide variety of dining options all under one roof, then Woodbine offers a definite attraction.

However, the real charm of the Canadian racetrack is the people that make it all happen. The folks on the backstretch at Woodbine are as accommodating as one could ever expect to encounter anywhere in North America, with the local horse community offering a level of friendliness that is supremely warm and welcoming to visitors. Palpably proud of their home track, the Woodbine community eagerly shares its pride in its home base and paramount appreciation of the Canadian heritage and for others, an adoptive nation.

Offering a good reason to wave the Canadian flag proudly this weekend, Woodbine offers a stacked King's Plate Day card, featuring six stakes–highlighted by the first jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown as well as the GI E. P. Taylor Stakes.

The 13-race card also features the GII King Edward Stakes and the GIII Bold Venture Stakes.

No Time, No Problem

Often considered the exception rather than the rule when a filly contests a U.S. Classic, it appears to have become somewhat more commonplace looking at the history of Canada's equivalent.

When a field of 13 lines up for Saturday's King's Plate, a filly will once again be the headline–Woodbine Oaks heroine No Time (Not This Time).

Over the course of the last 15 years, a filly has won the 1 1/4-mile Classic six times, and one has to only look as far back as last year to see its latest female winner, Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach), trained by Kevin Attard. In fact, Attard has trained the past two fillies to win the Plate, having also taken the 2022 renewal with Moira (Ghostzapper).

Trainer Mark Casse, who recorded his initial Plate victory with a filly, Lexilou (Sligo Bay), in 2014 and followed up with another filly, Wonder Gadot, in 2018. A fixture in both the U.S. and Canadian Halls of Fame, Casse was also responsible for the 2023 King's Plate winner Paramount Prince in the initial year that the race was renamed due to the ascension of the new monarch, King Charles III.

“She was awesome in the [Woodbine] Oaks,” said Casse of the Gary Barber-owned filly. “She is going to enjoy the extra distance and will be tough.”

Bred by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, the Ontario-bred filly is out of SW and GSP Count to Three (Red Ransom).

Promoted to third in last fall's Cup and Saucer Stakes, No Time won her second start of 2025 when taking a June 1 allowance optional claimer at Woodbine before finishing fourth in the GIII Selene Stakes June 28.

The $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale graduate is a half-sister to dual Grade I scorer and millionaire Count Again (Awesome Again) in addition to Grade I-winning sprinter Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon).

“She has a heck of a pedigree,” said Casse. “She's by one of the best sires in the world and she's a half-sister to two Grade I winners. She has the pedigree to be any kind. I feel like she really has grown up and has gotten stronger and better as time goes on, which happens a lot of times when you have these great pedigrees.”

Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, who was aboard for the filly's initial victory at two, will be returning for his first ride on the filly since last fall.

Boys Facing the 'Girl'

Looking to stand in Casse's is Woodbine-based Josie Carroll who saddles Notorious Gangster (Classic Empire) Saturday. Carroll, who also won the Plate with a filly–Inglorious–in 2011, is respectful of the sole filly in Saturday's Canadian Classic.

“If you look at European racing, the fillies face the colts all of the time,” opined Carroll when asked about the fillies facing the colts in big races. “I think a good horse is a good horse. If you have one that has the talent to be there and is handling everything you have to do to get there, then there is no reason not to be there.”

Of the early Plate favorite, Carroll added, “I think [No Time] will be tough, she is a good filly. But I hope we run her down.”

Campaigned by Mark Dodson, the Notorious Gangster won last year's Coronation Futurity and this year's Queenston Stakes. The dark bay was also runner-up in this year's Woodstock and Plate Trial.

“He's a very uncomplicated horse,” said Carroll, of Notorious Gangster, who will be ridden by Fraser Aebly. “The one thing that he shares with the horses that I have been successful with in the Plate is that he has a very good mind. He's very level-headed. And I think that's a really important trait on a day like King's Plate Day when there's a huge crowd.”

Carroll also won the Plate in 2006 with Edenwold and again with Mighty Heart in 2020.

“He's peaking at the right time, ticking all the boxes he should tick,” stated Carroll. “It's a large field, will he get it done, that's the real question, but I wouldn't trade him for anybody else right now.”

How does the trainer expect for the dark bay to handle the 10-furlong distance?

“I think the distance should really be ideal for a horse that closes the way that he does,” she said. “We'll leave it to his rider to navigate the traffic. In a big field, you worry if a closer will be able to work his way through, but we have every confidence in our rider.”

In search of his third Plate victory, Attard offers up Dewolf (Silent Name {Jpn}), Mansetti (Collected) and Faber (Improbable).

The dark bay will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who won the 2019 Plate with One Bad Boy. The winner of last season's Bull Page Stakes and second in the Cup and Saucer, the colt finished runner up in the GIII Grey Stakes and Coronation Futurity early this season. Sixth last time out the Plate Trial, DeWolf is campaigned by X-Men Racing IV LLC, Canuck Racing Club, Madaket Stables LLC and SF Racing LLC.

“DeWolf has probably trained the best of them from just a raw-talent point of view,” explained Attard. “His works in the morning have been stellar. Unfortunately, he hasn't really showed up in the afternoon yet. Not ideal trips in both races [this season], so it's been a bit of a disappointment from that perspective. Going into the first race this season, I was really excited and I thought this was an ideal horse for the King's Plate. It hasn't gone according to plan, but he continues to train well and to have Flavien Prat aboard, that is a bonus as well. He just needs to transition from the morning to the afternoon.”

He added, “He also needs to get a good trip, and if that happens, we'll see the DeWolf that everyone has been expecting and supporting so far.”

Stablemates Mansetti and Faber are campaigned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, who are looking for their first Plate win. Faber hit the board in two of four starts this season, including a pair of allowance optional claimers going a mile at Turfway in March and while adding an extra sixteenth at Woodbine May 31.

The more accomplished of the two, Mansetti won last season's Clarendon Stakes in November and added two more stakes this term-the Mar. 27 Woodstock Stakes and most recently in the GIII Marine Stakes in his first try past a mile June 28.

“The distance is obviously the big question, but it is the question for a lot of the horses in the race as well,” Attard explained. “He's really matured between two to three, and we saw him stretch his speed to two turns in the Marine.”

He continued, “We've also elected to give him more time in between races. We've put in some long works in between and he's handled them really well. He has a lot of talent. He has run one good race and one bad race, which is a bit concerning, but I think he's coming into it fresh which is a plus. And physically, he's never looked any better. He's thriving right now, so I'm hoping for a big race.”

Attard confirmed that Pietro Moran, who was aboard for both of the colt's victories this season, will be back on the $40,000 OBS April graduate Saturday.

“If Pietro [Moran] can get him to relax, I think he's going to be there at the end,” he concluded.

Victorious in last month's Plate Trial, Sedburys Ghost (Shaman Ghost) will be ridden by Ryan Munger. The gelding kicked off the season with a win sprinting at Woodbine June 8 before finishing fourth in his route debut in the Marine.

“He was a high-strung horse–not bad-acting, just very good-feeling as a 2-year-old, but he has settled down,” said trainer Barbara Minshall. “He has matured a whole lot. He was extremely calm and professional in the paddock for the Plate Trial. Generally, horses that get better all the time keep improving. It's a good sign.”

Scorching (Mo Town) won last year's Simcoe Stakes and Cup and Saucer (via disqualification). Campaigned by Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch, he was second in this year's Marine and third in the Plate Trial.

Trained by John Charalambous, Scorching was bred by Huntington Stud Farm Corp.

“After his first race, it was very impressive, and he improved each time he ran last year and this year,” said Charalambous. “After his first start, he just seemed to grasp everything very well and showed that he could be a better-than-average colt.”

Jose Lezcano gets the call.

Tom's Magic (Justify) comes into his first appearance outside of the U.S. off a 1 ½-length win in the 8 1/2-furlong Tale of the Cat Stakes on June 28 at Monmouth Park. Owned by CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing, and trained by Michael Stidham, the colt was bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry.

“I like the horse a lot,” said Stidham. “He's done things the right way. I think he's had a good preparation coming up to this race. I think we're in there with a really live chance.”

Rafael Hernandez, who has won three Plates, including last year with Caitlinhergrtness, will be in the irons on Saturday.

E.P. Taylor Headlines Stacked Undercard

Often an important factor in making the argument for the leading turf mare of the season, this season's GI E.P. Taylor Stakes once again offers up several horses that might be under consideration come next winter.

Leading the fray is 3-5 morning-line favorite She's So Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}). A four-time Grade I winner, the Lael Stables-campaigned filly finished a close-up second most recently in the GI Diana Stakes at the Spa July 12. Winner of the GI Natalma Stakes over Woodbine's turf course in 2023, the Cherie DeVaux-trained filly also took last season's GI QEII Cup at Keeneland and earlier this year, she won Churchill's GIII Modesty Stakes. Her most recent win was recorded in the GI New York Stakes in Saratoga June 6.

Hoping to recapture some her earlier glory, last year's King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach) attempts to get back into the winner's circle in the 10-furlong turf test for fillies and mares.

Victorious on Woodbine's synthetic in the 8 1/2-panel GIII Belle Mahone Stakes May 31, the chestnut tired to eighth in the grassy GII Nassua Stakes over a mile June 28 before just getting caught late and having to settle for second in the GIII Trillium Stakes on the main track July 26.

“I am a little disappointed with her race in the Nassau over the E.P. Taylor course,” Kevin Attard admitted. “I don't really have an excuse for it. It's a bit of a let-down performance. She had been pretty consistent for me right from the start.”

He continued, “She had a good work last weekend, and there were a couple of defections, we thought. It's a [Breeders' Cup] 'Win and You're In' race and in our own backyard, so it's worth taking a shot.”

When asked about the competition in Saturday's Grade I contest, he added, “With Cherie's filly here, arguably the best turf filly in North America, everybody is going to have to have their running shoes on to beat her. But we're on home turf and I'm happy with the way she is doing.”

Flavien Prat is scheduled to ride Caitlinhergrtness for the first time Saturday.

Woodbine's Saturday stakes action on the undercard also includes the GII Bold Venture Stakes and GIII bet365 King Edward Stakes.

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