Avie's Flatter tabbed as Queen's Plate winterbook favorite

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Coronation Futurity winner Avie’s Flatter has been made the 3-1 Queen’s Plate winterbook favorite among the 84 Canadian-bred 3-year-olds nominated to this year’s Canadian Triple Crown.

Owned by Ivan Dalos, Avie’s Flatter should be named last year’s Canadian champion 2-year-old male when the Sovereign Awards are handed out April 18. He has wintered at Palm Meadows in Florida since going 3 for 4 during his impressive 2-year-old campaign.

“He’s doing very well,” said trainer Josie Carroll, who has won the Queen’s Plate twice. “He had a little bit of a break after his last race. We had anticipated running in the Tampa Bay Derby, but he wasn’t quite ready for that, so we’ll possibly get a race in the south before he comes home. I think he’s a pretty special horse.”

Compiled by Daily Racing Form’s Alex Campbell and Ron Gierkink, the winterbook offers hypothetical odds on all the nominees.

Mark Casse, who won last year’s Plate with Wonder Gadot, trains the 4-1 second choice Federal Law and the 6-1 third choice Skywire.

Federal Law finished a close second in the 1 1/8-mile Coronation Futurity on Nov. 18. The son of Scat Daddy commenced his career in England, where he was competitive on turf and synthetics.

Skywire captured his first two races, including a first-level allowance by six lengths in the slop Feb. 13 at Gulfstream.

Desert Ride, at 8-1, is top-ranked among the 11 fillies nominated. Trained by Neil Howard for Sam-Son Farm, Desert Ride made both of her starts over about a mile on the grass at Fair Grounds, where she won her debut with a closing rush before ending up second in a first-level allowance.

Awesome Wok N Roll, another Casse trainee, rounds out the top five at 10-1. The son of 1997 Queen’s Plate winner Awesome Again placed in each of his last two starts, most recently in a maiden special weight dirt route at Fair Grounds.

Completing the top 10 are Bold Script (12-1), Come On Gerry (14-1), My Silencer (16-1), Intanga Rose (18-1), and Tone Broke (20-1).

The first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $1 million Queen’s Plate on June 29 highlights the two-day Queen’s Plate Racing Festival that begins June 28.

Woodbine also has announced that 59 fillies have been nominated to the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on June 8.