Desert Ride turns in final Queen's Plate work at Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Desert Ride, who used an allowance victory on the Keeneland turf in April as a springboard to victory earlier this month in the Woodbine Oaks, had her final pre-race breeze for the Queen’s Plate when going five furlongs in 1:02.60 early Friday at Churchill.

Trained by Neil Howard for Sam-Son Farm, Desert Ride will be looking to become the third straight filly to win the $1 million Queen’s Plate, which is set for next Saturday at Woodbine. In fact, three of the last five Queen’s Plate winners were fillies – Lexie Lou (2014), Holy Helena (2017), and Wonder Gadot (2018).

“It was a beautiful breeze,” said Howard. “It’ll be a tall task to face the boys, but she’s a very talented filly.”

◗ The 38-day Churchill spring meet will end with a trio of stakes next Saturday – the Bashford Manor and Debutante, both for 2-year-olds, and the Kelly’s Landing for sprinters.