A field of 12 will line up in Sunday's $1 million Queen's Plate (photo credit: Woodbine Entertainment)
A field of 12 including a pair of fillies will line up in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine, the first leg of the Triple Crown for Canadian-bred three-year-olds.
Among the dozen set to go the 1 ¼ miles over the polytrack surface is the top two finishers of the Woodbine Oaks, Nipissing and Spring in the Air.
Seven fillies have won Canada’s oldest race including Inglorious, who won the race in 2011 for Donver Stable and trainer Josie Carroll.
The Malcolm Pierce trained Up With the Birds is the 2-1 morning line favorite coming off a victory in the Marine over the Woodbine main track on May 26.
Seven of the dozen in the race exit the Plate Trial, which was won by the Mark Casse trained Dynamic Sky, who is the 4-1 third choice on the morning line. Casse will also saddle the filly Spring in the Air (10-1) and the longshot Kaigun (20-1), who was seventh in the Plate Trial.
Trainer Mark Frostad, who has won the race four times will send out County Lineman (30-1) and Pyrite Mountain (10-1).
The final two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown are the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on the dirt at Fort Erie July 30 and the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes on grass at Woodbine Aug. 18.
Let’s head out to Woodbine for Sunday’s featured race of the day:
Woodbine Race 10 The Queen’s Plate (Post time 5:38 ET)
4 Spring in the Air 10-1
2 Dynamic Sky 4-1
7 Up With the Birds 2-1
9 Nipissing 7-2
Spring in the Air is one of two fillies in this race, running second behind the other filly in here Nipissing last out in the Woodbine Oaks, beaten ¾ of a length for the top spot. The third place finisher Original Script came back to win the Bison City in her next outing on June 30. We had this gal when she won the Alcibiades (G1) last fall at Keeneland and backed her in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) where she was bet down to just under 6-1 and failed to fire her best in a fifth place finish. She is coming off a good effort last out and looks as if she is going to be able to handle the extra ground. Jockey Joel Rosario reported had his choice of the Mark Casse runners and elected to stick with Plate Trial winner Dynamic Sky, which may help our price. Fillies have won this race seven times including Inglorious in 2011. She gets five pounds from the boys.
Dynamic Sky was a game winner of the Plate Trial last out, rallying with a five wide move to get up late and win by a nose, beating six foes he faces again today. The colt was stretching back out off a seven furlong run in the Queenstown where he rallied for third. The winner of that race was Black Hornet, who came back to win the Achievement in his next outing at Woodbine on June 29. The colt was beaten just a length in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) last year at Keeneland. He should be able to handle the 1 ¼ miles. He is by Sky Mesa out of the stakes winner Muruni ($156,692).
Up With the Birds comes into the race off a good looking score in the Marine, drawing away to win by nearly five lengths. The third place finisher Five Iron came back to win the Victoria Park in his next outing on June 16. The cot has won four of his six starts and is a neck away from coming in here with a five race win streak. He was beaten by jack Milton in a photo two back on turf in the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland. The colt fits well here but his 2-1 morning line seems a bit on the light side.
Wagering:
WIN: Sprint in the Air to win at 5-1 or better.
EXACTA: 2,4 / 2,4,7,9
TRIFECTA: 2,4 / 2,4,7,9 / 2,4,7,9,10
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