King and His Court targets Plate Trial

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After two subpar efforts over the winter, King and His Court got his Queen’s Plate hopes back on track with a one-length victory over winterbook favorite Tiz a Slam in the $119,600 Wando Stakes on May 7.

As a result, King and His Court will proceed to the $125,000 Plate Trial over 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta on June 11. The race will serve as his final prep for the $1 million Queen’s Plate on July 2, trainer Mark Casse said.

Casse said he was pleased to see King and His Court get back to his old self after a ninth-place finish in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and a 10th-place finish in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park over the winter.

“We didn’t know what to think of him,” Casse said. “He definitely likes Woodbine. He trained much better once he got up there.”

King and His Court asserted himself as a Queen’s Plate prospect after joining Casse’s barn following his third-place finish in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes on Oct. 9. King and His Court was privately purchased by Casse and owners Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable from Alexander Patykewich, and the son of Court Vision immediately rewarded his new connections with stakes wins in the Coronation Futurity and the Display to close out his 2-year-old campaign.

Those victories earned King and His Court honors as the Canadian champion 2-year-old male at the Sovereign Awards on April 13.