Aye Aye Captain's Queen's Plate hopes sink

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Aye Aye Captain went into the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial on June 12 as a Queen’s Plate prospect for trainer Catherine Day Phillips but will not proceed to the Plate after a fifth-place finish behind winner Amis Gizmo.

Day Phillips said Aye Aye Captain will be pointed toward the $125,000 Deputy Minister Stakes on July 20, a race run over seven furlongs on the Tapeta for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

“We gave it a go for the added distance, but I don’t think that’s to his suiting at this stage,” she said. “The Deputy Minister seems to be the spot.”

Aye Aye Captain still has allowance conditions available to him if Day Phillips wants to run him once more before the Deputy Minister.

“We’ll see how he’s training,” she said. “We’ll play it one day at a time. If there aren’t any stakes races, we might just wait for the Deputy Minister.”