ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Northernette endured a heartbreaking loss in the 1977 Queen’s Plate when she was run down in deep stretch over a very sloppy track to finish second to Sound Reason in her third start in three weeks. A week earlier, she had won the Canadian Oaks convincingly, and the quick comeback had to have taken its toll on the gifted Northern Dancer filly. During the ensuing years, the nine-furlong Oaks was pushed back to two weeks before the Plate and then three weeks by the time Inglorious swept both Canadian classics in 2011. Last year, Moira romped in the Oaks and had four weeks off before doubling up in the Plate, while lowering Woodbine’s 1 1/4-mile synthetic-track record. Fillies won five of the last 12 runnings of the Plate, and there have been 38 female winners in the race’s storied 163-year history. This year’s Oaks protagonists, Elysian Field and Wickenheiser, will try to add to the total on Aug. 20 in the now King’s Plate (as per tradition, the race changed names this year following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III). Moira’s trainer, Kevin Attard, saddled the late-blooming Wickenheiser to a closing second in the Oaks on July 23, her first start since finishing second against males in allowance company in her June 4 season opener. The daughter of Belmont Stakes victor Lemon Drop Kid was a $245,000 Keeneland yearling purchase. :: 2023 King's Plate: Get odds, comments, analysis, and news for the 164th running of the King's Plate at Woodbine “Distance isn’t going to be an issue for her,” Attard predicted. “She’s bred to go beyond that. Whether or not she can work out a good trip in a 17-horse field – you’re going to need some luck. She’s got a good running style. With a little bit of luck on her side, she can have a good showing. “I had a couple setbacks with her prior to her [season debut] and another one right after her first race. I definitely think you haven’t seen the best of her yet.” Attard also won the 2021 Oaks with Munnyfor Ro, who subsequently finished a creditable fourth three weeks later in the Plate. He said it takes a special filly to win the Plate and the now four-week lead-in from the Oaks is a plus. “When you look at the fillies who’ve won the Plate, they’ve been better than your average 3-year-olds, male or female,” Attard explained. “With it being four weeks from the Oaks, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to come back with another peak performance. With the right filly, it’s a very reachable race.” Elysian Field was purchased privately by Team Valor International and Gary Barber after ending up second at first asking in a maiden special weight turf sprint at Saratoga last August. After returning from a 4 1/2-month layoff for trainer Mark Casse, she finished fifth in back-to-back maiden special weight races on different surfaces at Gulfstream before earning her diploma in a Tapeta sprint here April 30. Elysian Field had a wide trip while closing for second in the seven-furlong Fury Stakes on June 10. She took her game to another level winning the Oaks from off the pace by 2 1/4 lengths with an 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Casse swept the 2014 Oaks and Plate with Lexie Lou, and sent out Wonder Gadot to finish a troubled second in the 2018 Oaks before she won the Plate with ease. In both instances, the races were three weeks apart, and he said the timing is much better now for fillies. “I’m extremely happy now that we get a month between the Oaks and the Plate,” Casse said. “That’s important. Three weeks is tough. I think we were seeing it take its toll. I don’t see why Elysian Field wouldn’t [run competitively]. She’s a big, strong filly.” Fillies have always gotten a five-pound weight break in the Plate from males, who must carry 126 pounds. Whether or not that’s fair is debatable when you consider that a powerful filly like Wonder Gadot was bigger than her male competitors. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Attard said he believes that fillies deserve a weight break in the race, to make up for their perceived physical inferiority. “Looking at it from a human perspective, I think a male always has an advantage over a female when competing in sports,” Attard said. “I’m not sure how the biometrics of people translates to horses – maybe it does or maybe it doesn’t.” ◗ The King’s Plate is expected to attract an overflow of entries, with the top 17 in career earnings getting into the field. The last time 17 horses ran in the Plate was in 2011. ◗ A regular draw will be done for the King’s Plate this year and not the two-tiered pick-your-post system that was employed in recent years. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.