Kevin Attard will again look to win the $1 million King’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on Saturday with a filly.
The longtime trainer has done it before, with Moira in 2022, but his filly Wickenheiser finished 11th of 17 in last year’s edition of the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Caitlinhergrtness. Woodbine Photo.
The King’s Plate boasts a number of female winners over the course of its history
This time, Attard sends out four of the 13 3-year-olds in the King’s Plate, including 12-1 longshot filly Caitlinhergrtness.
Attard’s other entries are even longer shots: Jokester and Pierre, both at 20-1, and Bedard at 30-1.
“We have seen how successful fillies can be in the Plate,’’ Attard said. She belongs here, and the hope is that she can continue to elevate her game.”
The 1 ¼-mile Plate, the oldest continuously run race in North America that began in 1860, has seen 38 fillies with this race for 3-year-olds.
A unique Triple Crown in Canada
The Canadian Triple Crown is unique in that it is contested over three different surfaces: the Kings’s Plate on an all-weather track; the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales at Fort Erie on dirt; and the 1 ½-mile Breeders’ Stakes on turf at Woodbine.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse sends out the two favorites in 7-5 My Boy Prince and 2-1 Essex Serpent.
My Boy Prince is 2-1 favorite
My Boy Prince, Canada’s 2-year-old male champion, comes into the race with a three-race win streak.
“He just doesn’t give a hoot about much,” said Casse. “You sure wouldn’t look at him and think that he’s some superstar. He saves it all for on the track.”
My Boy Prince. Woodbine Photo.
Caitlinhergrtness, who breaks from post 4 under Rafael Hernandez, finished second in the Woodbine Oaks on July 20 and was supplemented to the King’s Plate. She is owned by Sienna Farm and WinStar Farm and has a record of 2-1-1 from six starts.
Bedard is 0-for-3 but has finished second each time.
“This is a huge step up, but we know he has the capability to come up with a good one,’’ said Attard of the horse named after the NHL’s Connor Bedard. “Hopefully, the stars align, and he runs the type of race we know he can.”
Post time is 6:10 p.m. ET.
For those who bet horse racing …
The picks: 1 Caitlinhergrtness 2 My Boy Prince 3 Jokester
The field for the $1 million King’s Plate, from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Jokester (Emma Jayne-Wilson, Kevin Attard), 20-1
2 Rafaroo (Ryan Munger, Harold Ladouceur (8-1)
3 Essex Serpent (Patrick Husbands, Mark Casse), 2-1
4 Caitlinhergrtness (Rafael Hernandez, Kevin Attard), 12-1
5 Midnight Mascot (Kazushi Kimura, Mark Casse), 10-1
6 Friendly Ghost (Justin Stein, Evette Chartrand-Hoek), 30-1
7 My Boy Prince (Sahin Civaci, Mark Casse), 7-5
8 Pierre (David Cohen, Kevin Attard), 20-1
9 Thor’s Cause (Jeffrey Alderson, Krista Cole), 50-1
10 Bedard (Pietro Moran, Kevin Attard), 30-1
11 Roar of the Crowd (Fraser Aebly, Dominic Polsinelli), 50-1
12 No More Options (Daisuke Fukumoto, Zeljko Krcmar), 30-1
13 Vitality (Jose Campos, Harold Ladouceur), 20-1