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.”
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