Keep Grinding Named 4-1 Morning-Line Favorite In Wide Open Queen’s Plate

Thirteen hopefuls, including four Kevin Attard trainees, will vie for top prize in the $1 million Queen's Plate, first leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, highlighting a stakes-laden, entertainment-filled Sunday card of racing at Woodbine.

The 162nd edition of the Queen's Plate, North America's oldest continually run race, contested at 1 ¼ miles on the Woodbine Tapeta, is the curtain raiser for the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.

Wando, bred and owned by the late Gustav Schickedanz, was the last horse to accomplish the feat, in 2003, while becoming the seventh to record the unique triple. The $400,000 Prince of Wales, run at 1 3/16 miles on the dirt at Fort Erie on Sept. 14, is the second leg. The $400,000 Breeders' Stakes, at 1 ½-miles over the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine on Oct. 3, concludes the series.

The Queen's Plate breakfast festivities, hosted by Jason Portuondo, included an appearance from Kayla Sanchez, Canadian Olympic medalist, remarks from Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, and comments from the connections of horses running in Sunday's race.

The double-draw format was in place for the post-position draw, with the order of selection first established and the connections then choosing their post positions. The connections of Riptide Rock selected first and chose post seven.

This year's running of the Queen's Plate will showcase a mix of stakes champions, stars on the rise, and live longshots. Fillies will carry 123 pounds, while all other starters carry 126 pounds.

Trainer Kevin Attard, seeking his first Plate triumph, will be represented by four starters, including Munnyfor Ro, winner of the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, on Aug. 1.

To be ridden by Justin Stein for owner Raroma Stable, the daughter of Munnings will look to follow in the hoofsteps of other fillies who have notched the Oaks-Plate double, a list that includes Inglorious (2011), Lexie Lou (2014) and Holy Helena (2017).

Munnyfor Ro, sporting a 2-2-2 mark in nine starts, is in good order heading into the race.

“She's here and we're excited,” said Attard. “We waited to see how she came out of the race [Woodbine Oaks]. She seemed to handle the race really well in the Oaks. She had a good work in the interim and she's been doing really well. She's in the feed tub and it seems like she's ready to fire again.”

Attard's three other hopefuls come in the form of Haddassah, Harlan Estate and H C Holiday.

Haddassah, to be ridden by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Gary Boulanger, who won the 2001 Queen's Plate with Dancethruthedawn, is owned by Al & Bill Ulwelling.

“He's indicated to me that he should [get the distance],” said Attard. “Obviously, we're hoping to get him relaxed early and I think that will be the key.”

Owned by ERJ Racing (NHL defenceman Erik Johnson), Exline-Border Racing, Madaket Stables and Clay Scherer, Harlan Estate began his career in California before making the trek north to Woodbine. The son of Kantharos will have Kazushi Kimura – Woodbine's leading rider in 2021 – in the irons.

“He's named after my favorite wine in Napa (Harlan Estate),” Johnson told Woodbine's Communications Office. “His sire is Kantharos, which in Greek, was a cup used to hold wine. So, that's the tie-in there.

“He is out of an Arch mare, which is a big stamina influence in his pedigree. He is training very well and we are excited to see him run in Canada's biggest race.”

H C Holiday, a son of Ami's Holiday, will look to deliver Ivan Dalos, one of Canada's most successful owners and breeders, with his first Queen's Plate crown. Luis Contreras, the first rider to win all three Canadian Triple Crown races with different horses, gets the call on Sunday.

“We're pretty excited,” said Colleen Dalos, of Tall Oaks Farm. “My father has been in the business over 40 years, as everybody knows, and I think we've had four shots at this Plate. We've hit the board three times, we have three seconds, this is what we covet, everybody wants to win on their home turf and their home ground. It means everything to us to win a Plate.

“What's also exciting is this is the son of Ami's Holiday, who came second in the Plate and hit the board across the Triple Crown. So it's exciting for us to see our homebreds and the horses that we breed. This is four generations of Tall Oaks Farm breeding that has gone into this horse so we're so excited for H C Holiday.”

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There are plenty of other intriguing Attard storylines in this year's Plate running.

Kevin's father, veteran trainer Tino Attard, will send out Keep Grinding, a dark bay son of Tizway who is 1-1-1 from five starts. Kevin's teenage son Joshua owns the colt.

“I am very excited and it's also very nerve wracking, that's for sure,” said Joshua Attard. “I know Keep Grinding, he'll show up. He always tries, if you watch all his races, he never gives up and I know on Sunday he'll show up.”

Keep Grinding has been installed as the 4-1 morning line favorite.

Hall of Fame conditioner Sid Attard, seeking his first Plate victory, rests his hopes on Stronach Stables' homebred Riptide Rock, a chestnut son of Point of Entry. The gelding won his most recent start on July 16 at Woodbine.

Avoman, trained by Don MacRae, who co-owns with La Huerta Inc. (Jim and Graeme Bruce), arrives at the Plate off a win in the Plate Trial Stakes. Antonio Gallardo, who moved his tack to Woodbine in July, will be aboard again on Sunday.

Dance Some Mo is one (Tidal Forces is the other) of two Sam-Son Farm silk bearers contesting this year's “Gallop for the Guineas.” Trained by Graham Motion, the son of Uncle Mo will be making his stakes debut in the Plate. Patrick Husbands, who guided Wando to Canadian Triple Crown glory in 2003, gets the call again.

Trained by Carlos Grant for owners Fieldstone Farms Inc. & Jecara Farms Corp., Derzkii, third in the Plate Trial, sports a record of 2-2-2 from nine starts. Jason Hoyte will be aboard the son of Frac Daddy.

Owner-breeder Garland Williamson's Go Take Charge will look to break his maiden in the Plate. Trained by Breeda Hayes, the son of Will Take Charge arrives at the $1 million event off a second-place finish on July 24 at Woodbine.

Champion jockey Irad Ortiz will guide Phillip Serpe trainee Safe Conduct on Sunday. The bay son of Bodemeister, owned by WellSpring Stables, will be making his first appearance in Canada, having contested his past three races at Belmont, which includes a win on May 2.

Anderson Farms Ontario Inc., William Carr, Donald Ferguson will take their shot at a Plate win with Take a Chance, a bay son of Munnings who won his most recent start, the victory coming on July 11 at the Toronto oval. Keveh Nicholls will ride.

The tandem of trainer Gail Cox and owner Sam-Son Farm, who teamed with El Tormenta to win the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile in 2019, will look for another big win, this time with Tidal Forces. The son of Malibu Moon will have champion rider Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard.

Sunday's card also features a trio of star-stacked graded stakes action, the Grade 1 Highlander, Grade 2 Dance Smartly and Grade 3 Ontario Colleen.

First race post time for Sunday is 12:25 p.m. (ET), with the featured Queen's Plate scheduled as Race 10 (5:42 p.m.). The national Plate broadcast will be televised on TSN and CTV starting at 4:30 p.m.

For the latest information, fans can follow @WoodbineTB on both Twitter and Instagram, and visit QueensPlate.com.

FIELD FOR THE QUEEN'S PLATE

Post – Horse – Trainer – Owner – Jockey – Morning Line Odds

1 – SAFE CONDUCT – Phillip Serpe – WellSpring Stables – Irad Ortiz Jr. – 5-1

2 – HARLAN ESTATE – Kevin Attard – ERJ Racing, Ex-Line Border Racing, Madaket Stables, Clay Scherer – Kazushi Kimura – 12-1

3 – HADDASSAH – Kevin Attard – Al & Bill Ulwelling – Gary Boulanger – 10-1

4 – TAKE A CHANCE – Catherine Day Phillips – Anderson Farms Ontario Inc., William Carr, Donald Ferguson – Keveh Nicholls – 20-1

5 – H C HOLIDAY – Kevin Attard – Ivan Dalos – Luis Contreras – 15-1

6 – MUNNY FOR RO – Kevin Attard – Raroma Stable – Justin Stein – 9-2

7 – RIPTIDE ROCK – Sid Attard – Stronach Stables – David Moran – 6-1

8 – KEEP GRINDING – Tino Attard – Joshua Attard – Rafael Hernandez – 4-1

9 – GO TAKE CHARGE – Breeda Hayes – Hillsbrook Farms – Sahin Civaci – 30-1

10 – DANCE SOME MO – Graham Motion – Sam-Son Farm – Patrick Husbands – 12-1

11 – AVOMAN – Don MacRae – La Huerta Imports & Don MacRae Racing Stable – Antonio Gallardo – 8-1

12 – TIDAL FORCES – Gail Cox – Sam-Son Farm – Emma-Jayne Wilson – 12-1

13 – DERZKII – Carlos Grant – Fieldstone Farms Inc. & Jecara Farms Corp. – Jason Hoyte – 30-1

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The Friday Show Presented By Monmouth Park: Kenny McPeek On Swiss Skydiver

Kenny McPeek admits he's not the most conventional trainer in America. Peter Callahan's multiple Grade  1 winner Swiss Skydiver, who McPeek is sending out against colts for the third time on Saturday in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. N.Y., is Exhibit A.

“European racing they don't think twice about doing this. In Australia they don't think anything about it,” McPeek said. “American racing tends to 'stay in your lane,' per se. You're not supposed to get out of your lane. Well, I'm not always that. I've been known to do things differently anyways, so what the heck.”

McPeek joins Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulick and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills to talk about the Eclipse Award-winning filly's career and how he decided to run her in the Whitney. He also reveals how he approaches the yearling sales with a limited budget and manages to find some of the hidden gems that have led to his career 100 graded stakes wins.

Paulick and Nevills also review the Woodbine Star of the Week, Munnyfor Ro, winner of the Woodbine Oaks, who poses a serious challenge for the Queen's Plate, a race that fillies have performed very well in over the last 20 years.

Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:

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Munnyfor Ro Best In Woodbine Oaks

Munnyfor Ro, under a patient ride from Justin Stein, took the 66th running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser Sunday at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario.

Trained by Kevin Attard for Raroma Stable Inc., Munnyfor Ro was the last to load in the first leg of the Triple Tiara for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies, but was first when it counted most, perhaps setting herself up for a shot at Queen's Plate glory on August 22.

It was Lorena, undefeated in three starts coming into the Oaks, who was put on the front end by Gary Boulanger. Emmeline, under Emma-Jayne Wilson, settled into second, with Miss Marie and Il Malocchio racing side-by-side just off the leaders.

After a quarter-mile in :24.35, Lorena was still in command as Emmeline, to her outside, remained squarely in contention. Munnyfor Ro, with Justin Stein aboard, was cruising comfortably in the eighth spot, and was still there after a half-mile clocked in :48.41.

As the field began to envelop Lorena, Stein and Munnyfor Ro, sixth after three-quarters in 1:12.35, began to pick off their rivals one-by-one and were full of run around the turn for home. At the stretch call, the pair was a half-length ahead of a determined Emmeline, who continued to fight on along the rail.

At the wire, Munnyfor Ro was a 1 ¼-length winner. Emmeline stayed on for second, a nose ahead of Il Malocchio, with 85-1 Youens taking fourth. The final time was 1:50.31.

Munnyfor Ro, the 3-1 third choice, returned $8.70 for the win.

“I was told the key with her is to have her settled,” noted Stein. “The pace… it looked like there was probably some possibility of them stopping, which we didn't want to be in behind them. I put her in a spot that we could tip out in the turn when it came time to ask her to run from the quarter-pole home. We had a dream trip; worked out perfect.”

It was an Oaks first for Attard and a second for Stein, who teamed with Academic to take the 2015 running.

“We were expecting a good performance out of her,” said Attard. “She came up here this season in good shape from [trainer] Brian Lynch – had a great campaign over the wintertime. She ran a fabulous race [second] in the [Grade 3] Selene. I thought she'd move off that race forwardly enough to kind of be really competitive here today. Had a good interim breeze and put it all together.”

For owner Rajendra Maharajh, it was a perfect day from start to finish.

“My good buddy Art Fisher from Ocala picked her out for me,” said Maharajh, who named the horse for his son 'Ro.' “She came up here [last year] and ran two races. She was a little immature at the time. We sent her down to Florida and gave her the winter off and then with COVID, my other trainer, Brian Lynch, took her over and prepped her up and we were always planning for this race. Brian did a fabulous job getting her ready and then she came over just about a month ago and Kevin did the final touches on her and he did a fabulous job.”

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The Oaks win wasn't the only icing on the cake.

“It's just a wonderful story and today's my mom's 80th birthday,” shared Maharajh. “Everybody is here with us, so it's a family day and a lovely day.”

The decision to run Munnyfor Ro, now 2-2-2 from nine starts, in the $1 million Queen's Plate, will be made by the filly's connections in the coming days.

“These are the races you want to win growing up as a kid here in Ontario,” said Attard. “With Woodbine my home, the Oaks and the Plate are obviously those pinnacle races for those 3-year-olds – just really happy and satisfied to get it done today.

“A mile and a quarter is going to be her trip; I'm not worried about the distance. We'll see how she comes out of the race and then we're going to have to sit down and talk, and see if supplementing her is the next move.”

The Woodbine Oaks has served as a Queen's Plate stepping-stone for fillies. Oaks-Plate champions 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.

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Munnyfor Ro Overcomes Wide Trip to Take Woodbine Oaks

Munnyfor Ro (Munnings) completed a quick-fire stakes double for her outstanding sire, overcoming a tough trip from a double digit gate to take out Sunday's C$500,000 Woodbine Oaks in Toronto.

Settled behind midfield through the opening furlongs, the $65,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase traveled four and five off the inside–though with some cover–down the backstretch and began working into it entering the final half-mile. Four deep for the run around the second turn, she sustained a long run despite the ground loss, hit the front in upper stretch and stayed on nicely to defeat Emmeline (Violence). Il Malocchio (Souper Speedy) was third. Minutes earlier, Munnings's Miss Alacrity stormed to victory in the Colleen S. at Monmouth Park.

Munnyfor Ro broke her maiden in career start number five over the Keeneland turf course while under the care of Brian Lynch ahead of a third to Gam's Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) in a first-level Churchill allowance May 8. Sixth to that foe in the GIII Regret S., Munnyfor Ro was a latest runner-up in the GIII Selene S. over this Tapeta track July 10.

“We were expecting a good performance out of her,” said winning trainer Kevin Attard. “She came up here this season in good shape from [trainer] Brian Lynch–had a great campaign over the winter time. She ran a fabulous race in the Selene. I thought she'd move off that race forwardly enough to kind of be really competitive here today. Had a good interim breeze and put it all together.”

For owner Rajendra Maharajh, it was a perfect day from start to finish.

“It's just a wonderful story and today's my mom's 80th birthday,” shared Maharajh. “Everybody is here with us, so it's a family day and a lovely day.”

Munnyfor Ro could take on the boys in the Aug. 22 Queen's Plate over a mile and a quarter, according to Attard, but would need to be supplemented to that first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

The winner's stakes-winning second dam is a full-sister to GI Ashland S. winner Little Belle, who has since gone on to produce Grade I-winning turf distaffer Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro). Repartee is the dam of the 2-year-old filly Retort (Liam's Map) and a yearling filly by Unified.

Saturday, Woodbine
WOODBINE OAKS PRESENTED BY BUDWEISER, C$500,800, Woodbine, 8-1, (C), 3yo, f, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:50.31, ft.
1–MUNNYFOR RO, 121, f, 3, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Repartee, by Distorted Humor
                2nd Dam: Dubai Dancer, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Dubai Belle, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. ($65,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Raroma
Stable; B-Daybar, LTD. (ON); T-Kevin Attard; J-Justin Stein.
C$300,000. Lifetime Record: GSP, 9-2-2-2, $320,985.
2–Emmeline, 121, f, 3, Violence–Babcock, by Uncle Mo.
($16,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-RCC Racing Stable Ltd. & Realm
Racing Stables; B-William D. Graham (ON); T-John Mattine.
C$100,000.
3–Il Malocchio, 121, f, 3, Souper Speedy–Egbert Bay, by Sligo
Bay (Ire). O/B-Franco S. Meli (ON); T-Martin Drexler.
C$50,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NO, 4 3/4. Odds: 3.35, 8.15, 13.00.
Also Ran: Youens, Curlin's Catch, Miss Marie, Erasmo's Girl, Lorena, Jilli Marie, Lady Moonshine.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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