Month: July 2023

Paramount Prince, racing beyond seven furlongs for the first time, made all the running and drew off for an emphatic five-length victory under Patrick Husbands in Sunday's 1 1/8-mile $150,000 Plate Trial at Woodbine Racetrack.

The Plate Trial, a race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, is the major local prep for the $1-million King's Plate, which will be run on August 20.

A field of 12 contested the Plate Trial, but Paramount Prince left his rivals reeling.

“Looking at the [Daily] Racing Form, it was fun for me,” said Husbands, who was riding his fourth Trial winner. “Looking at the race, seeing how it would unfold, all the trainers are going to say, 'Take back' and I can get everything my way. And the race unfolded that way.”

Paramount Prince carved out fractions of :23.83, :48.58, 1:12.93 and 1:37.40 en route to a final clocking of 1:49.99.

Cool Kiss rallied to take down second money by a head in a photo with closing Twin City.

Velocitor was prominent throughout and finished fourth, just another half-length back in an improved performance, with stablemate Phillip My Dear a length behind in fifth.

Stanley House, sent away as the even-money favorite, trailed the field into the backstretch and launched a wide move around the far turn only to come up empty and finish sixth.

Tiburon, Guns n' Rojas, Forest Buzz, Gran Spirited, Simcoe and Pat's Gamble completed the order of finish.

The Plate Trial win was the fourth for Casse, but his first three were unable to duplicate that success in the Queen's Plate, now to be run as the King's Plate. Big Red Mike, in 2010, was the most recent to convert the double.

Paramount Prince, a gelding by Society's Chairman out of Platinum Steel, by Eddington, was bred in Ontario by Ericka Rusnak. The Ontario-bred gelding was making his fifth career start and third of this season. He is campaigned by Michael J. Langlois and Gary Barber, the latter enjoying a victory in the Woodbine Oaks one race later as co-owner with Team Valor International of winner Elysian Field, who is possible for the King's Plate.

“A dream come true, an absolute dream come true,” said Rusnak. “I was just hoping he would hold on and he kept pulling away.

“Just having a horse being talked about in the same sentence as the King's Plate… this is a dream come true.”

The post ‘Dream Come True’: Paramount Prince Wins Plate Trial On Front End appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Elysian Field, under Sahin Civaci, unleashed a spirited stretch run to take all the spoils in the 68th running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks  for Canadian-bred fillies on  Sunday at Woodbine.

Trained by Mark Casse for Team Valor International and Gary Barber, Elysian Field took the lead just before the stretch call and confidently fended off a pair of late-running rivals en route to a 2¼-length score and with it, a possible date in the King's Plate on August 20.

Fashionably Fab and Friends for Life both broke sharply with the former emerging with a slim early advantage as the field of 14 moved past the wire for the first time and into the first turn. Ticker Tape Home was positioned third and Fortyfiveseventy settled into fourth, while Civaci had Elysian Field in sixth through an opening quarter reached in :24.02.

The lead pair continued their front-end tussle through a half-mile in :46.96 as Elysian Field was running comfortably and unhurried in seventh.

Ticker Tape Home pounced on the front-runners ahead of three-quarters and looked to dash away from her foes, but Elysian Field was rolling to her outside, wearing down her stablemate to hold a head advantage at the stretch call before powering away for the victory.

Wickenheiser, at 6-1, finished second and 50-1 Fortyfiveseventy, was three-quarters of a length back in third. Me and My Shadow took fourth.

“Honestly, the horse was great,” said Civaci of Elysian Field. “I just had a good trip overall, and she came running.”

The final time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:49.83.

“We bought her a month or two after her first start at Saratoga, and we had her here for about two days and she went into the clinic for about a week, almost a little touch and go, colic. I think it took its toll and we brought her home and she's got bigger and stronger. She's beautiful.

A chance to contest the $1-million King's Plate appears to be a strong possibility for the daughter of Hard Spun out of Elysian, by Smart Strike, according to Casse, who turned the Oaks-Plate double with Lexie Lou nine years ago.

“Gary [Barber] owns a part and he's game. I want to talk to Barry Irwin from Team Valor, but she's a big, strong filly and I'm extremely happy how we get a month between the Oaks and the King's Plate, so that's important. Three weeks is tough, so now we get four weeks, and I don't see why she wouldn't.”

The Woodbine Oaks has served as a King's Plate, formerly run as the Queen's Plare, steppingstone for fillies. Oaks-Plate winners include Holy Helena (2017), Lexie Lou (2014), Inglorious (2011) and Dancethruthedawn (2001). In 2018, Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot went on to win the Queen's Plate. In 2022, Moira achieved the same feat en route to Canada's Horse of the Year title.

Bred by Anderson Farms Ont. Inc., the chestnut filly is now 2-2-0 from six starts. Elysian Field debuted at Saratoga last August, finishing second, at 50-1, in a 5 ½-furlong turf race. She broke her maiden this April at Woodbine in a 6 ½-furlong race over the Tapeta. ​

Elysian Field paid $13.60 for her Woodbine Oaks win.

The post ‘She Came Running’: Elysian Field Rolls To Woodbine Oaks Win, Possible For King’s Plate appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Winchell Thoroughbreds' classy homebred Wicked Halo pressed by Non Violence through the final sixteenth before edging clear to win Sunday's inaugural running of the $125,000 Twin Bridges Stakes at Ellis Park.

Cristian Torres rode Wicked Halo for trainer Steve Asmussen. The 4-year-old Gun Runner filly completed six furlongs in 1:10.36.

The compact field of five fillies and mares broke well, but it was Dealing Justice who was hustled hard for the early lead under Martin Garcia. She was pressed to her outside by Non Violence and jockey Rey Gutierrez while heavily favored Wicked Halo sat just off the front-running duo through an opening quarter mile in :22.99.

Around the turn, Non Violence passed the tiring Dealing Justice while Wicked Halo continued her wide journey with closer Last Leaf improving her early position at the rail. In the stretch, Torres asked Wicked Halo for her best run while Non Violence and Gutierrez continued to fight hard to her inside. Just inside the final sixteenth, Wicked Halo dug down deep to get by Non Violence and score a 1¼-length victory.

Wicked Halo, who is out of the Tapit mare Just Wicked, banked $76,500 for her victory in the Twin Bridges. A multiple graded stakes winner, she sports an impressive record of 8-2-4 from 15 career starts and purse earnings of $1,297,700.

She returned $2.42 for the victory.

The post Heavy Favorite Wicked Halo Prevails In Inaugural Running Of Ellis Park’s Twin Bridges appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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