Ironstone, Silent Runner begin road to Queen's Plate with Woodstock Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The road to the $1 million Queen’s Plate begins on Sunday at Woodbine for Canadian-breds Ironstone and Silent Runner in the $125,000 Woodstock Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

Ironstone graduated in the restricted Simcoe Stakes in August before doubling up in another impressive front-running performance in the Oct. 8 Clarendon Stakes, when he got an 88 Beyer Speed Figure. He went on to run second in the Display Stakes before a stalking second around two turns in the Grade 3 Grey behind God of Love, who was voted the Sovereign Award for champion male 2­-year-old over Ironstone.

Ironstone wintered at Margaux Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he worked three times before a trio of fast breezes here last month. The brilliant worker got the bullet in his last two drills - a half-mile in :46.40 on April 17 and five-eighths in :59 last Sunday.

“He’s going into it good,” trainer Willie Armata said. “We’re trying to teach him to rate a little. That’s what we worked on last year. If somebody wants to go, I don’t want to go head-and-head with him. I’d rather just sit off him. The jockey knows that. I think he can relax a little. He doesn’t need the lead to win.”

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Armata has mapped out a three-race schedule leading up to the 1 1/4-mile Plate. Following the Woodstock, Ironstone will be pointed to the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes for Canadian-breds on June 12 and the Grade 3 Marine on July 2. He said he likes the seven-week gap between the 1 1/16-mile Marine and the Aug. 21 Plate.

From post 4, Ademar Santos has the call on Ironstone, who was the 10-1 fifth choice in the Queen’s Plate Winter-book.

Silent Runner was the 14-1 seventh choice in the Winter-book. He won 3 of 7 starts at 2, during which he never really blossomed until after his second-place finish in the Clarendon.

Silent Runner won an Ontario-sired allowance in front-running style by six lengths on Nov. 12 and then took the restricted Frost King Stakes from a stalking position a mere nine days later.

Silent Runner has been working right along for trainer Mike Doyle, including sub-minute five-eighths drills on April 9 and April 16.

The Chicago-based Larry Rivelli trainees Nobals and One Timer are both frontrunners. Rivelli scratched One Timer.

Nobals won his last two starts in a pair of Tapeta stakes at Turfway, with Beyers of 76 and 77.

Rounding out the field are Unraptured, Victory Jet, All in Sync and Determined Kingdom. Doctor Jeff is also scratched.