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‘Prince’ Leads Royal Procession in King’s Plate

On paper, it appeared that Paramount Prince (Society's Chairman) had many things going for him heading into the 164th King's Plate at Woodbine. Trained by Mark Casse, who is one of only a handful of individuals who has been honored by both the U.S. and Canadian Hall of Fames, the chestnut was benefitting from the services of another Canadian stalwart in Patrick Husbands. Not to mention he is owned by Michael Langlois and Gary Barber, the latter well-known for having campaigned the likes of a trio of Classic winners–2019 Preakness hero War of Will, in addition to a pair of Queen's Plate scorers–Lexi Lou (2014) and Wonder Gadot (2018). However, despite the super-stacked street cred, the gelding was given only tepid support at 8-1 to give Casse his third victory in the oldest continuously run race in North America.

As expected, taking much of the pre-race play in the 17-horse field was GSW Kalik (Collected), trained by four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Chad Brown. Installed the 4-1 favorite, the colt weighed in slightly ahead of third betting choice Stanley House (Army Mule). While Paramount Prince seemed to take in all the hubbub that goes hand-in-hand with the big race days, Kalik bypassed the indoor enclosure entirely and set up shop in the outside ring early, proceeding to work up a fierce sweat by the time the field made their way out to the track.

Still giving the gate crew all they could handle in the moments right before the break, the favorite wasn't in much of a hurry at the start, stationing himself toward the back early as his counterpoint, Paramount Prince, bounced to the front with relative ease. Carving out a quarter mile in :23 1/5 as longshots Velocitor (Mor Spirit) and Silent Miracle (Silent Name), followed by Casse's other runner–the filly Elysian Field–were within striking distance, the gelding continued to show the way following an honest but comfortable half-mile in :47.41. Still zipping along in front as the Woodbine Oaks winner started to turn the screws on Velocitor up the inside through three quarters in 1:11.81, Paramount Prince was given his cue from Husbands at the quarter pole, as his nearest pursuers were also set down for the final push. Given several right-handed reminders late just to remain on task, the gelding had enough left in the tank to score by 1 1/2 lengths over Elysian Field, co-owned by Barber and Team Valor International. Stanley House rallied from far back early to round out the triactor, while Velocitor came home fourth, seven lengths behind the winner. Favored Kalik never got into the mix of things, finishing 13th.

Sunday's King's Plate card yielded record handle of $18,127,726, up from the previous record of $18,005,973 generated in 2019.

“I didn't want to change anything that was already working,” offered Husbands when asked whether his instructions were to get to the front early. “But he left there running and he just did his own thing.”

Husbands also was winning his third Plate, following a score with ultimate Triple Crown winner Wando and Lexi Lou, for Casse and Barber.

He added, “I knew the first time around, that it was going to take a good horse to beat him.”

“At the end of the day, you've got to let the horses talk and don't get too cocky. I had a clean break, I let him do what he likes to do best, and he just enjoyed the running. I asked him to get over on his right lead and he was just gone. He just glides over the ground.”

Casse explained, “He often wins the race at the start. He just breaks so fast. And there was a lot of speed. He's so quick from the gate and that's where he won it. He outbroke them and I knew when he went by us the first time he was traveling well.”

“I was with Gary Barber, and we saw the half in :47 and I said, 'That's not too bad.' And that Elysian Fields, she's just so tough, she came up. But it was a dream come true.”

Bred in Ontario by Ericka Rusnak, Paramount Prince was the first horse bought at auction by Langlois and his wife Charmaine, who made the purchase through then-trainer Jamie Attard. For Attard, Paramount Prince won when getting thrown in against $40,000 maidens going six panels over Woodbine's Tapeta surface last November. Barber bought into the Ontario-bred  following his first start, however, left him with Attard for the remainder of his 2022 campaign. Sent to Casse following a third facing Ontario-breds in the Clarendon S. in December, Paramount Prince kicked off 2023 with a second to One Bay Hemmingway (Danger Bay)–who returned to win the following month–in a six-furlong optional claiming event Apr. 30.

Stepping back into stakes company for his next start, he was runner-up behind Kaukokaipuu (Mr Speaker) in Woodbine's seven-furlong Queenston S. June 11, but seemed to relish the added yardage, winning by five lengths at odds of 11-1 in his latest start in the Plate Trial S. July 23.

The gelding came into the Plate looking to become the first horse since Big Red Mike (2010) to notch the Trial-Plate double. Not Bourbon, in 2008, and Eye of the Leopard, in 2009, also recorded the double.

“When he came to us in Ocala, he was a different horse. We were shocked he was getting beat the first couple of times,” recalled Casse. “I think the key to that is he just doesn't want to run short. And he just wants to use his speed.”

 

Pedigree Notes:

With the victory, Paramount Prince becomes the ninth black-type winner for his sire, Society's Chariman. The King's Plate winner is out of SP Platinum Steel, a daughter of stakes winner Crafty Toast and a half-sister to GI Carter winner and Hill 'n' Dale stallion Army Mule (Friesan Fire).

Sunday, Woodbine
KING'S PLATE S., C$1,004,500, Woodbine, 8-20, (C), 3yo, 1 1/4m (AWT), 2:01.93, ft.
1–PARAMOUNT PRINCE, 126, g, 3, by Society's Chairman
                1st Dam: Platinum Steel (SP, $171,013), by Eddington
                2nd Dam: Crafty Toast, by Crafty Prospector
                3rd Dam: Give a Toast, by Storm Bird
(C$21,000 Ylg '21 CANSEP). O-Michael J. Langlois and Gary
Barber; B-Ericka Nadine Rusnak (ON); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Patrick Husbands. C$600,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-1,
$580,871.
2–Elysian Field, 121, f, 3, Hard Spun–Elysian, by Smart Strike.
($50,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $70,000 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Team
Valor International and Gary Barber; B-Anderson Farms Ont.
Inc. (ON); T-Mark E. Casse. C$200,000.
3–Stanley House, 126, c, 3, Army Mule–Stormy's Song, by
Unbridled's Song. ($80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 RNA Ylg
'21 FTKJUL; $120,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-John E. and Diana L. Russell; B-Elevage II, LLC & St. Elias
Stables LLC (ON); T-Michael P. De Paulo. C$100,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1HF, 4. Odds: 8.00, 4.60, 4.40.
Also Ran: Velocitor, Touch'n Ride, Enjoythesilent, Cool Kiss, Twin City, Philip My Dear, Moon Landing, Wickenheiser, Twowaycrossing, Kalik, Morstachy's, Kaukokaipuu, Silent Miracle, Midnight in Malibu. Scratched: El Cohete, Runaway Charlie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

O-Michael J. Langlois and Gary Barber; B-Ericka Nadine Rusnak; T-Mark Casse.

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Despite Wide Trip, Candy Ride Filly Captures Spa Maiden For Pletcher

Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) had all the momentum as the field turned into the stretch for Sunday's fifth at Saratoga, a six-furlong maiden for 2-year-old fillies. The only question was whether or not she could get up in time after racing seven wide on the turn. It took some doing, but she got the job done, winning a race despite showing signs that she's still on the immature side.

Ridden by Luis Saez, Candied was in mid-pack early as Ella Elizabeth (Take Charge Indy) set the pace. On the far turn, Irad Ortiz Jr. darted to the rail aboard Chad Brown first-time-starter Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief). It appeared to be the winning move as the Into Mischief filly opened up by 1 1/2 lengths at the eighth pole. Meanwhile, with a wall of horses in front of him, Saez took the widest route, but it didn't matter as his filly won by three-quarters of a length.

“She had to lose some ground, but she had her face clean and picked up some momentum. I thought it was a quality effort,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Pletcher continued: “We expected her to be a little closer. She had been pretty quick getting away from the gate. She's also been a little bit green. We actually put some blinkers on her a few times to test them out. We felt like she was still learning. She was one of those who was still looking around with the blinkers. So we decided to take them off.”

Pletcher also noted that Candied was having problems changing leads in the stretch.

“That's something we've been working on a lot with her, her lead changes,” the trainer said.  “She's been kind of slow to get totally professional about that. I think there is big room for improvement for her.”

Candied is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and was a $165,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton July yearling sale. The breeder is Buck Pond Farm Inc.

She paid $12.60 and ran the six furlongs in 1:10.89.

The priciest filly in the race was Munny Rockette (Munnings). She sold for $1 million at the OBS March Sale. Trained by Bill Mott, she finished third, beaten 4 1/4 lengths.

 

5th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-20, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.89, ft, 3/4 length.
CANDIED (f, 2, Candy Ride {Arg}–Toni Tools {SW, $193,339}, by Roaring Fever), a 5-1 shot, took her time getting into stride and was in chase mode early from several paths off the rail. She began to inch up into contention into the turn and jockey Luis Saez steered her outside to position her widest of the bunch coming into the lane. With plenty of late run despite drifting towards the rail, Candied got up alongside leader Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief) with a sixteenth to run and turned that rival away to prevail on the wire by three-quarters of a length with favorite Munny Rockette (Munnings) back in third. Toni Tools is responsible for a Solomini colt this year and was bred back to Mind Control. Sales History: $165,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Buck Pond Farm, Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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Ness, Rodriguez Top Laurel Summer Meet Standings

Jamie Ness was the leading trainer and Jaime Rodriguez was the top jockey at the Laurel Park summer meet which concluded Sunday. Ness saddled 27 winners at the 33-day stand, while Brittany Russell was second in the standings with 22 wins. Rodriguez outdistanced five-pound apprentice Axel Concepcion, 39-29, to finish as leading rider.

Ness and Rodriguez put an exclamation point on their meet with a Sunday hat trick–Madison Avenue Racing Stable, Inc. and Jagger Inc.'s Liberty Star in Race 5, Double B Racing Stables' My Boy Colton in Race 6 and Morris Kernan Jr. and Jagger Inc.'s Borracho in Race 8.

“We've been on a pretty good roll this summer,” said Ness, who also tops the trainer standings in wins at both Delaware Park and Parx. “It's hard to win on one front, but to win on three is really hard. We spread it out pretty equally. We've got good horses and we've got a good operation here in the Mid-Atlantic. We've got horses at all three tracks, and we've got Fair Hill and I've got my farm. We fine-tuned the infrastructure to the Mid-Atlantic region, and it seems to be getting a little bit better every year.”

Ness' Jagger Inc.–named for his late dog–and Kernan finished as the meet's leading owners with 10 wins. Jagger also won five races with Madison Avenue Racing and another four as sole owner.

“That's another part of my business. I own a percentage of most of my horses. I like that and my owners like that, and it works well for us,” Ness said. “If I'm vested in the horse, then they feel more comfortable being vested in the horse. I've got some really good partners and they're really good people and it's been working out for us.”

The summer title is the second Maryland meet title for Rodriguez following Laurel's winter stand. Represented by agent John Weilbacher, he is also the two-time defending champion at Delaware where he currently has a two-win edge over Daniel Centeno.

“It's been awesome, amazing. We're having a great year,” Rodriguez said. “Thank God, he keeps me healthy, and my agent and everybody for giving me a chance, Ness and all the trainers and owners. To be the leading rider at two tracks, that's impressive.”

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Hard Spun Colt Cruises To ‘TDN Rising Star’ Status At Ellis

Alder (Hard Spun)'s first trip to the gate July 15 at Ellis Park resulted in him being declared a non-starter after he became tangled and unseated Gerardo Corrales just as the bell sounded. With Corrales back aboard, no such issues plagued this 2-year-old colt as he sparkled down the lane to win on debut at Ellis Park on Sunday afternoon. The bold effort earned him 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

Off at 9-5 here, the Godolphin homebred settled midpack up the backstretch as a trio vied for the lead into the far turn. Taking aim at that bunch, Alder took the overland route with a sweeping four-wide move before the quarter pole, shifted to another gear running down the lane and won impressively by 6 1/4 lengths over fellow firster Honky Tonk Highway (City of Light).

The winner's dam foaled a colt by Street Boss Mar. 2 and she was bred to Mystic Guide for 2024. Second dam Forest Heiress (Forest Wildcat) is a multiple Grade III winner and counts GI Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash S. hero Wildcat Heir as a full-brother. This is Hard Spun's 13th 'TDN Rising Star'.

7th-Ellis, $70,000, Msw, 8-20, 2yo, 5f, :58.42, ft, 6 1/4 lengths.
ALDER, c, 2, Hard Spun
                1st Dam: Arbol by Elusive Quality
                2nd Dam: Forest Heiress by Forest Wildcat
                3rd Dam: Penniless Heiress by Pentelicus
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $40,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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