On Sunday, Woodbine will host the $1 million Queen’s Plate Stakes, Canada’s most prestigious race. Restricted to horses foaled in Canada, the classic mile and a quarter contest has drawn a field of thirteen three-year-olds.
Trainer Josie Carroll will saddle two horses in the race including the favorite Amis Gizmo, tabbed at odds of 3-1 on the morning line. A chestnut son of Giant Gizmo, he is a half brother to graded stakes winner Amis Flatter and has won five of his six starts. Last time out, he won the Plate Trial in preparation for this race and has been training forwardly since then. Luis Contreras will be aboard and they will break from post position ten.
Second choice at morning line odds of 7-2 is Leavem in Malibu for trainer Mark Casse. A bay son of Malibu Moon, he has won two of his three starts and will be stepping up to stakes competition for the first time. After a third-place finish in his debut, he broke his maiden in his next start and followed that up with an allowance victory. All three starts have come in his home country. Gary Boulanger will be aboard and they will break from post position four.
Also in the field at morning line odds of 12-1 is longshot Scholar Athlete for trainer Graham Motion. A gelded son of Einstein (BRZ), he was purchased for $85,000 by West Point Thoroughbreds as a juvenile and has won two of his eight starts. He was last seen winning an allowance race at Belmont Park after a pair of poor efforts against stakes competition. Jose Ortiz will be in the irons and they are scheduled to break from post position twelve.
Players trying to look beyond prohibitive favorite Tepin in the September 17 Woodbine Mile will surely have their work cut out for them as the superstar mare tackles seven rivals on the grass.
The second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown goes Tuesday night from Fort Erie race track, where Sir Dudley Digges will try to take another step toward Canadian racing history.
A spectacular card of graded stakes action has been assembled for Saturday at Belmont Park and the $1 million Ogden Phipps is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races of the day. The Grade 1 event for fillies and mares will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth.
The $200,000, Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes May 28 at Woodbine features just six runners, but the mile and one sixteenth event certainly isn't lacking in quality.
2016 Woodbine Mile Picks and Preview
16 September 2016Players trying to look beyond prohibitive favorite Tepin in the September 17 Woodbine Mile will surely have their work cut out for them as the superstar mare tackles seven rivals on the grass....
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