King's Plate 2023: Belmont results muddle list of leading contenders
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The King’s Plate-nominated horses who competed in Grade 1 turf stakes on July 8 at Belmont Park were disappointing, which has thrown the early Plate picture into some disarray.
Following consecutive front-running scores on the Belmont turf, Grade 2 winner Kalik was a non-threatening eighth in Belmont Derby, his first poor performance since his 2-year-old debut on dirt.
If he comes for the $1 million King’s Plate, expect Kalik to go back on Lasix, with which he’s unbeaten in two starts – a maiden win at Gulfstream Park and an allowance victory at Belmont – for Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.
Earlier on the July 8 Belmont card, favored Mission of Joy faded to finish seventh after tracking a slow pace in the Belmont Oaks. She had won two of her three previous outings in Grade 3 stakes company, and perhaps the stretch-out to 1 1/4 miles in the Belmont Oaks was to her detriment.
Trained by Graham Motion, Mission of Joy also could reacquire Lasix in the Aug. 20 Plate, which she used in her Florida Oaks triumph at Tampa Bay Downs. Fillies have won the Plate in five of the past 12 years and in four of the last nine runnings.
The King’s Plate nominee who ran a hole in the wind at Belmont was Northern Invader, who won a one-mile maiden special on the grass by eight lengths with a 94 Beyer Speed Figure on July 1. Trainer Cherie DeVaux said Northern Invader is targeting the Grade 2, $500,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame at a mile on turf Aug. 4 at Saratoga, rather than the 1 1/4-mile Plate on Tapeta.
“We have the Hall of Fame penciled in,” DeVaux said. “The King’s Plate is in the back of our mind, but that’s just another surface and distance. How many different things do you want to throw at him at once?”
Perhaps Northern Invader will contest the other legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes over 1 3/16 miles on the dirt Sept. 12 at Fort Erie and the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes going 1 1/2 miles over Woodbine’s roomy main turf Oct. 1.
Stanley House will make his stakes debut July 23 as the probable favorite in the $150,000 Plate Trial, a nine-furlong stakes for Canadian-breds that’s an important Plate prep.
After graduating over Gulfstream’s Tapeta on March 25, Stanley House ran second behind the future stakes winner Tyson here May 6 before beating older rivals in another allowance route here June 18.
Trainer Mike DePaulo said Stanley House had valid excuses when fifth in his first Gulfstream outing in February.
“It was the first time he’d run long, and you always wonder if they’ll go two turns or not,” DePaulo said. “I was a little disappointed. I thought he’d win, but it didn’t happen. He came back with three shoes, and then we took out a bunch of his wolf teeth. The [horse dentist] promised me two lengths [improvement] for each tooth, so she was right.”
Stanley House worked a good five-eighths in 1:00.80 last Sunday, while galloping out strongly under jockey Luis Contreras. DePaulo also is planning on running Cool Kiss in the Trial.
Kaukokaipuu has come to hand of late for trainer Tedston Holder. The handsome gray graduated three races ago in his ninth start before doubling up in the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes.
Kaukokaipuu took his game to another level most recently in his first two-turn try in the Grade 3 Marine. He came wide from fourth to duel with the Brown-trained favorite, Turf King, through the stretch en route to finishing a close second under Rico Walcott.
“It looks like he was the best in the” Marine, Holder said. “He had a bit wider trip than [Turf King]. My rider engaged that horse and may have caused him to get brave.”
Holder said the son of Mr Speaker was unlucky not to have earned his diploma at 2.
“He was good last year – just had some unfortunate trips,” Holder recalled. “He was knocking heads with the best of what we had and at no stage was he embarrassed.”
Holder plans on training Kaukokaipuu up to the King’s Plate, but said he would consider the Plate Trial or an allowance “if I can’t keep him on the ground.”
Twin City and Simcoe, both also-rans in the Marine, are likely to end up in the Trial, which should have a large field.
Trainer Mark Casse could run Paramount Prince and Stayhonor Goodside in the Trial, which he won last year with Sir for Sure. Casse has been aiming the Plate-nominated Ticker Tape Home to the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks at 1 1/8 miles on July 23.
Trainer Kevin Attard said reigning Canadian champion male 2-year-old Philip My Dear and Moon Landing are both headed for the Trial after they worked six furlongs together in 1:11.80 on July 8.
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