The 167th King’s Plate, North America’s oldest continuously run stakes race, headlines Saturday’s jam-packed card at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.
Contested at 1 ¼ miles on the Tapeta main track, the race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds is the first leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown (followed by the Prince of Wales Stakes and Breeders’ Stakes) and carries a $1 million purse.
First run in 1860 as the Queen’s Plate after Queen Victoria granted a plate worth 50 guineas, the race alternates between “King’s” and “Queen’s” with the British monarch.
In 1902, the year after Victoria’s death, the race became the King’s Plate, after her successor, Edward VII. It became the Queen’s Plate again during the reign of Elizabeth II (1952–2022), and it returned to the King’s Plate name with the accession of King Charles III in 2022.
Canada’s premier race has been run at Woodbine since 1956 and at the current 1 ¼-mile distance since 1957. It is still a cornerstone of Canadian racing.
Notable winners include Northern Dancer (1964), the first Canadian-bred to win the Kentucky Derby (G1); Canadian Triple Crown sweepers With Approval (1989) and Wando (2003); Kennedy Road (1971), L’Enjoleur (1975), Dance Smartly (1991), Peteski (1993), Awesome Again (1997), and modern standouts such as Moira (2022), Paramount Prince (2023), Caitlinhergrtness (2024), and Mansetti (2025).
Fillies in the King’s Plate have a strong record: 39 winners overall since Brunette in 1864, including 11 since 1956 (Flaming Page, Jammed Lovely, La Lorgnette, Dance Smartly, Dancethruthedawn, Inglorious, Lexie Lou, Holy Helena, Wonder Gadot, Moira, and Caitlinhergrtness).
Twelve sophomores are set to face the starter, with Woodbine Oaks winner Luster the even-money favorite. The gray Knicks Go filly, trained by Josie Carroll, is 4-0-1 from five career starts and broke her maiden at Woodbine as a 2-year-old. She then won an allowance at Keeneland, shipped back home to finish third in the Ruling Angel, then dominated in both the Selene Stakes (G3) and Woodbine Oaks, winning the latter by 5 ½-lengths in 1:50.99 for the 9 furlongs, faster than the boys in the Plate Trial that day.
“I thought she would run really well in it [Woodbine Oaks],” Carroll said. “She’s a very, very athletic horse. She actually exceeded what I expected in that race. Looking at a horse like that, I thought she impressed in that race.”
Luster shows tactical speed and can sit and finish, and her Beyer figures have climbed with each start. She seeks to become another recent filly Plate winner to complete the Oaks- Plate double, which was last achieved by Moira four years ago. Regular rider John Velazquez will be back aboard.
Highwaytothemoon (6-1) is the Plate Trial winner, and the consistent Ransom the Moon gelding (four wins from seven starts with a second and third) also took home the Queenston Stakes two back.
“He didn’t try to do anything more than we wanted him to,” trainer Dale Desruisseaux said.
of the Plate Trial victory. “In hindsight, that’s probably one of his better attributes where I think he’ll get the extra distance just on that quality alone.”
Highwaytothemoon has some tactical speed ability and should be able to handle the extra furlong in distance. Jockey Rafael Hernandez, who owns three Plate wins already (two with fillies Moira and Caitlinhergrtness; another with Shaman Ghost), will be back aboard.
Julia Carey trains Brachetto (5-1), a Manitoba-bred Vekoma colt who finished third in the Queenston before upsetting the Marine Stakes (G3) in his first try around two turns as the 18-1 longest shot in the six-horse field. The bay colt seems to prefer to sit well off the pace and make a late run and should get a decent pace to run at. The extra distance is his main question after a six-week break and jumping up from 1 1/16 miles.
“Everything is on schedule,” said Carey. “He’s acting well, eating well, and traveling well. He loves to train. I can’t seem to do enough work with him. He’s not a real big, tall horse, but he’s a very well-built horse.”
He will be ridden by Ryan Munger and is a genuine contender with upside should he handle the stretch-out.
Desruisseaux also sends out Dixie Law (10-1), the other filly in the field. The daughter of Tiz the Law owns a strong résumé, having won the Cup & Saucer Stakes against boys and the Mazarine Stakes (G3), both as a 2-year-old. She then took the Ruling Angel (nosing out top pick Luster) before finishing third in the Selene and was a clear second to Luster in the Oaks.
“After the campaign she had last year, we thought she was a good horse, and that, hopefully, she would progress over the winter into her 3-year-old year,” Desruisseaux said. “Based on her first couple of races this year, we think she deserves a chance.”
She has shown both early speed and that she can rate, and she will have jockey Pietro Moran, who won last year’s Plate on Mansetti, in the irons.
Magical Factor (10-1) is a The Factor gelding for trainer Rachel Halden and jockey Jose Campos. The Chiefswood Stables homebred owns only a maiden win to his credit but did finish second in the Marine Stakes last out. He has shown ability at a route and should be in the mix if he improves.
“His races have improved as the year has gone along,” Halden said. “He’s a very good-looking horse; he’s a striking horse. Anybody that sees him for the first time, that is what they’re going to notice.”
Military Time (12-1) closed for third in the Plate Trial last out and has run in stakes events in four of his six career starts, placing in three but so far unable to reel one in. His two wins – his maiden score and an allowance triumph three back – were in sprints, so despite pedigree (as a son of Gun Runner), distance is a question. Three-time Plate winner Casse believes the added distance will help if the colt focuses, and so far, he has shown a preference for closing into a pace.
“The distance will probably be an asset, but he’s still not focusing,” Casse said. “So, we need him just to focus more, but also, as I said, I think more ground will help him.”
Imyourmedicineman (20-1) was a strong second in the Plate Trial at long odds, and the Shaman Ghost gelding, who owns a strong late kick, will benefit from an expected strong early pace. Jockey Luis Contreras has two prior Plate wins (Inglorious, Holy Helena) and seeks this third for trainer Harold Ladouceur. The son of 2015 Plate winner and multiple graded stakes victor Shaman Ghost broke his maiden in his second start back in November in a maiden optional claimer by 2 ¾ lengths but has mostly struggled since.
“He didn’t run that well his last two starts before the Plate Trial,” Ladouceur explained. “We had to figure things out, get him back, eating the way we wanted, and put proper weight on him. His training was good all along. I think the style that he raced those races wasn’t really what he wanted. He was near the lead, and when it came time to go, he just put his head up and did not want to run. I think he needs to sort of cover it up and take a little bit of a hold, and then let him run, even though he’s sharp out of the gate.”
Fire and Wine (30-1), for trainer Zeljko Krcmar and jockey Jalon Samuel, impressed as a juvenile, breaking his maiden by 13 lengths at a mile and 70 yards in his fifth career start and then winning the Coronation Futurity by five to close out the season. He finished well back in Plate Trial but looks to rebound here.
“He’s going to be in top shape for the Plate,” Krcmar said. “I believe he is in the top shape of his life. He’s good. He’s sound. He’s healthy. He likes to run. He’s brave on the front.”
He has some early speed and could be involved on the front end if the pace is soft, but needs old form to be a factor.
Baaeed Alynna (30-1) and Very Special (30-1) are both trained by Kevin Attard, who has won three of the last King’s Plates.
Baaeed Alynna is lightly raced and coming off a flat and disappointing sixth-place finish in the Plate trial in his first try around two turns. The Good Magic Colt, who will be ridden by Sahin Civachi, seems in deep against this group, though Attard has high hopes.
“I love the way he goes out and goes about his business,” Attard said. “Whatever you ask of him, he’s happy to oblige. He is a horse that has a lot of talent. He is lightly raced, but that said, he is showing us every sign that he can handle the Plate distance.”
Very Special is a maiden Adena Springs homebred by Ghostzapper who, despite hitting the board in all of his starts, will need the performance of his life to have a say here. He will be adding blinkers for the first time here, however. Romero Maragh rides.
“He rallied well in his first race, fought back to finish second in his next start, and had a less-than-ideal beginning in his most recent performance,” Attard said. “Obviously, you would like to see a win beside his name, but if he decides to do it in the Plate, we have no problem with that.”
Don Ique (30-1), Carroll’s second entry, broke his maiden at Horseshoe Indianapolis wearing a $40,000 tag for trainer Joseph Davis and then the son of Astern (AUS) shipped back to Canada to win an allowance at 1 1/16 miles in his first start of the year. The roan colt finished fifth in the Plate Trial on July 19 and was closing but perhaps ran out of real estate.
“I really had thought we were off the King’s Plate trail with him, but he ran such a nice race there [Plate Trial], he galloped out so strongly that I felt that he deserved to run in the Plate,” Carroll said.
Emma-Jayne Wilson, who won the Plate in 2007 with Mike Fox, will be in the saddle.
Bond Market (30-1) has one win on the turf in his only try at 45-1 and steps up in class here. What he does have in his favor is the near lateral switch from turf to the all-weather surface, but this task perhaps seems too significant to overcome. First-time King’s Plate jockey Xarel Forde rides for trainer Carlos Grant.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luster | J R Velazquez | J Carroll | 1/1 |
| 2 | Fire and Wine | J L Samuel | Z Krcmar | 30/1 |
| 3 | Baaeed Alynna | S Civaci | K Attard | 30/1 |
| 4 | Imyourmedicineman | L Contreras | H Ladouceur | 20/1 |
| 5 | Dixie Law | P Moran | D A Desruisseaux | 10/1 |
| 6 | Don Ique | E Wilson | J Carroll | 30/1 |
| 7 | Magical Factor | J L Campos | R Halden | 10/1 |
| 8 | Highwaytothemoon | R M Hernandez | D A Desruisseaux | 6/1 |
| 9 | Brachetto | R Munger | J Carey | 5/1 |
| 10 | Very Special | R R Maragh | K Attard | 30/1 |
| 11 | Bond Market | X Forde | C Grant | 30/1 |
| 12 | Military Time | F Aebly | M E Casse | 12/1 |
Last Updated on 08/13/2026
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
