A pair of Grade 1 races for sophomore fillies on Saturday and a Canadian classic on Sunday are the highlights of this weekend's live racing action across North America.
The Alabama features a very strong lineup of ten 3-year-old fillies, including three Grade 1 winners and two additional Grade 1-placed runners, while the Del Mar Oaks also drew a field of 10 to go nine furlongs on the grass.
Canada's $1 million premier race for sophomores will be run as The King's Plate for the first time since 1951, in keeping with the tradition of naming the race after the ruling British monarch. This year's edition drew a full field of 17 3-year-olds, including two fillies.
Sunday's King's Plate card at Woodbine also features a trio of standout stakes: the $200,000 Dance Smartly (G2T) (1 1/16 miles on the E.P. Taylor turf for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up), $125,000 Catch a Glimpse (6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-old fillies) and $125,000 Soaring Free (6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-olds).
There will be one Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In race on Sunday. The winner of the six-furlong Sumbe Prix Morny (G1) on turf for 2-year-olds at Deauville Racecourse in France will earn an automatic starting position and fees paid into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at the Breeders' Cup World Championships
All times listed below are for the Eastern time zone.
Saturday
5:45 p.m. – Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga
Wet Paint notched a breakthrough Grade 1 score last out in Saratoga's nine-furlong $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks. The daughter of Blame will look to build upon that effort when stretching out to 10 furlongs for the first time, facing nine 3-year-old filly rivals in the $600,000 Alabama.
Trained by two-time Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, Wet Paint's CCA Oaks victory came in thrilling fashion when flying home late under regular pilot Flavien Prat to nail Sacred Wish at the wire and secure a neck score in a final time of 1:50.68. She equaled a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, which came on the heels of a runner-up finish to Hoosier Philly in the Monomoy Girl at Ellis Park where the latter was alone on the lead and coasted home a 3 1/2-length winner.
Sacred Wish will try to turn the tables on Wet Paint after nearly fending off her familiar foe in the CCA Oaks. Trained by George Weaver, the Not This Time dark bay tracked in second throughout before taking the lead at the stretch call and powering down the lane under Manny Franco. She ran on bravely and drew clear from all but Wet Paint, who nabbed the victory in the final strides.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher brings a trio of skilled competitors as the New York-bred Kentucky Oaks runner-up Gambling Girl [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Grade 1-winner Chocolate Gelato [post 6, Jose Ortiz] and Grade 2-winner Julia Shining [post 3, Luis Saez] attempt to give him his fifth win in this event.
Trainer Kenny McPeek has won the Alabama twice in the past five runnings, and is well-represented this year by Grade 1 winner Defining Purpose. The gray Cross Traffic filly arrives from a tidy 1 1/4-length coup in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks traveling 1 1/16 miles on July 8 at Horseshoe Indianapolis where she stalked one length off the pace before getting first run in the turn and taking charge at the top of the stretch. She was awarded a career-best 87 Beyer for the effort.
Completing the field are the Chad Brown-trained duo of Wilton-winner Randomized [post 8, Joel Rosario] and allowance-winner Fireline [post 5, Javier Castellano]; graded stakes-winner Taxed [post 9, Rafael Bejarano], who finished second last out in the Indiana Oaks and won the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in May at Pimlico Race Course for conditioner Randy Morse; and graded stakes-placed Sabra Tuff [post 4, Reylu Gutierrez], who finished third in last year's Grade 3 Adirondack for trainer Dallas Stewart.
8:45 p.m. – Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks at Del Mar
The 67th edition of the Del Mar Oaks has drawn a field of 10 for its nine-furlong run out of Del Mar's unique infield chute on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The likely favorite in Del Mar's 3-year-old filly championship is Anisette, a stretch-running daughter of the Irish stallion Awtaad who has gone two-for-two in a pair of stateside starts this year since coming over from a brief 2-year-old campaign in England. French expat Leonard Powell does the training for Anisette. He put Umberto Rispoli up on her at Del Mar on July 22 in the G2 San Clemente Stakes and that resulted in a 2 1/2-length tally. So naturally enough, Rispoli will be back up Saturday.
The two chief threats to the top one appear to be the New York shipper Be Your Best and the Irish-bred Impact Warrior, who made her American debut at Del Mar July 23 and ran an impressive second in a two-turn grass allowance test.
Be Your Best, by the British sire Muhaarar, is trained by Horacio De Paz. They've gotten Del Mar's leading rider, Juan Hernandez, to sign on for the Oaks run. Impact Warrior races out of the barn of Phil D'Amato. Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux was up for the daughter of Saxon Warrior's recent Del Mar run and he'll be up once more Saturday.
Sunday
4:58 p.m. – Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine
Nine fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, will vie for top spot in the $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile test over the E.P. Taylor turf, on King's Plate Sunday at Woodbine.
Justify My Love (BRZ), trained by Paulo Lobo for her breeder, Stud Rio Dios Irmaos, and Bonne Chance Farm, arrives at the Dance Smartly off a sharp score in the $100,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff on July 8. The winning time for 1 1/16 miles over “good” ground was 1:43.91. Justify My Love (BRZ) returned $26. A Grade 2 winner in Argentina, it was the first stakes triumph since the 6-year-old mare came to North America for her 2022 campaign.
Other starters include Moira, Canada's reigning Horse of the Year, Chad Brown trainee, stakes winner Salimah (IRE), multiple graded stakes winner Il Malocchio, and last-time out stakes winner Miss Dracarys.
5:39 p.m. – $1 million The King's Plate at Woodbine
Seventeen sophomores, including Woodbine Oaks winner Elysian Field and Plate Trial victor Paramount Prince, both trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, will contest the $1 million King's Plate on Sunday at Woodbine. It is the first time since 1951 that the race will be run as The King's Plate, in keeping with the tradition of naming the race after the ruling British monarch.
Kalik, trained by Chad Brown, will make the Plate his first start in Canada. The son of Collected-Coronation Street won three straight starts, all turf, from March to June of this year, including the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G2T) on June 3. The chestnut is 3-1-0 from six starts.
Cool Kiss, a son of Kantharos-Hot Kiss, is one of three (Stanley House and El Cohete is the other) Mike De Paulo trainees. The dark bay is 2-2-0 from eight starts. Emma-Jayne Wilson, who won the 2007 Plate with Mike Fox, gets the call.
El Cohete (“The Rocket”) has posted a top-three finish in three of his four starts, including a maiden-breaking performance over 6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf on June 15. The son of Society's Chairman-Diannecantretire was third in his most recent race, at 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta, on July 30.
Stanley House is 2-3-0 from seven starts. The son of Army Mule-Stormy's Song recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes to start his career in the fall of 2022. His maiden victory came at Gulfstream Park on March 25 at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta. Javier Castellano, aboard for that milestone win, will be in the irons again Sunday.
A grey son of Mr Speaker-Grey Pride, Kaukokaipuu has been a model of consistency for trainer Ted Holder. The colt is 2-7-0 from 11 starts, including a victory in the 1 1/16-mile Queenston Stakes over the Tapeta on June 11.
Midnight in Malibu, trained by Sid Attard, sprung a 32-1 upset in his most recent race, a 1 1/16-mile race over the Tapeta. The son of Midnight Lute-I Thirtyfive is 2-0-0 from five starts. The dark bay colt broke his maiden over one mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta last December.
Trained by Renico Lafond, Morstachy's was a recent $40,000 claim. The son of Mor Spirit-Wekiva Mist is 1-3-2 from 11 starts. The bay won in his final start of 2022, a 4 ¼-length triumph at 6 ½ furlongs over the Woodbine Tapeta. The gelding has finished in the top three in four of his past five races.
A chestnut son of Society's Chairman-Platinum Steel, Paramount Prince heads into The King's Plate off a wire-to-wire, five-length performance in the Plate Trial on July 23. The gelding, trained by Mark Casse, is 2-2-1 from five lifetime starts.
Elysian Field, also trained by Casse, heads into the Plate off a sterling score in the Woodbine Oaks. The daughter of Hard Spun-Elysian, owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber, is 2-2-0 from six starts.
Canada's champion 2-year-old male Philip My Dear, trained by Kevin Attard, is 3-0-2 from seven starts. Last year, the son of Silent Name (JPN)-Involuntary won the Soaring Free and Cup and Saucer, both contested on the E.P. Taylor turf.
Silent Miracle, 3-0-1 from five races, will test out the stakes ranks for the first time in the Plate. Trained by John Mattine, the son of Silent Name (JPN)-Broken Meadow notched consecutive wins starting last December (in his 2-year-old finale) over 6 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta, before a victory at seven panels on the same surface in his 3-year-old debut this May.
Touch'n Ride has made just two starts, but both efforts produced pleasing results for trainer Layne Giliforte. After a third to launch his career on July 1, where the son of Candy Ride (ARG)-Niigon's Touch rallied impressively in the one-mile turf race, the bay was even better next time out. Sent off at 9-2 in the 1 1/16-mile Tapeta race on July 30, the gelding romped to a 5 ¼-length score.
Twin City, trained by Stuart Simon, brings a record of 2-4-1 from eight starts into the Plate. The son of Klimt-Minnie Apple Is took the King Corrie this May, a nose win in the seven-furlong Tapeta race. The bay will be ridden by Gary Boulanger.
Bred, owned, and trained by dual hall of fame conditioner Roger Attfield (who is tied with Harry Giddings, Jr. for the most Plate wins by a trainer with eight), Twowaycrossing has run four of his six races on the turf. The son of English Channel-Double Guns Girl won at first asking last October over seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf and is 2-0-0 from seven starts.
Velocitor, a son of Mor Spirit-Polar Plunge, has a mark of 3-1-1 from eight starts for trainer Kevin Attard. The dark bay won two straight races including last year's Coronation Futurity at 21-1. The gelding finished second in his debut last May before a 7 ½-length romp at the same distance and over the same surface, five furlongs on the Tapeta, next time out in June.
Moon Landing, trained by Kevin Attard, won at first asking, the victory coming at Woodbine over 6 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta. The son of Nyquist-Fragrance is 1-0-1 from six starts.
Wickenheiser (1-2-0 from six starts), named after Canadian hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser, finished a rallying second to Plate rival Elysian Field in the Woodbine Oaks on July 23. Kevin Attard, who sent Moira out to an Oaks-Plate double last year, trains and co-owns the daughter of Lemon Drop Kid-Game (FR).
The post Weekend Lineup Presented By HIWU: 17 Canadian 3-Year-Olds Take On The King’s Plate appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
