King's Plate 2024: Casse holds strong hand with My Boy Prince, Essex Serpent, Midnight Mascot
?q=100)
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse is probably going to win the 165th running of the $1 million King’s Plate, North America’s oldest annually run stakes, on Aug. 17 at Woodbine. The question is which one of his star 3-year-olds will prevail in the 1 1/4-mile Tapeta route for Canadian-breds?
During the spring, it looked like reigning Canadian champion male 2-year-old My Boy Prince would be a lock if he simply maintained his sharp form throughout the summer. The $115,000 (Canadian) topper at the 2022 Canadian Premier Yearling sale, My Boy Prince romped in his second start off the sidelines in the seven-furlong King Corrie Stakes after attending a slow pace, earning a whopping 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the process.
My Boy Prince was more aggressive June 9 in the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes, during which he dueled for the lead on the outside on the backstretch before assuming command on the turn en route to a 4 1/4-length score with an 89 Beyer.
After landing his 5 1/2-furlong debut here April 27, Essex Serpent awaited room along the inside before closing for second in the Queenston. While stablemate My Boy Prince remained in his stall for the Grade 3 Marine on June 29, Essex Serpent ran a corker on the stretch-out to 1 1/16 miles. The son of Honor Code helped set a fast pace over a speed-favoring track and won by a length over shipper Cameo Performance while receiving an 89 Beyer.
“He [wants to go] as far as they write them,” Casse said.
Casse’s third stringer, Midnight Mascot, won the slowly run Woodstock Stakes going three-quarters in his April 28 comeback before finishing a distant third in the King Corrie. He took his game to another level in the Marine when rallying wide from a trailing seventh to end up third, two lengths behind the less-experienced Essex Serpent.
My Boy Prince is on target for the nine-furlong Plate Trial Stakes on July 20, while Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot could train up to the King’s Plate, according to Casse.
My Boy Prince is owned by Gary Barber, who has won the King’s Plate with a trio of Casse charges – Lexie Lou in 2014, Wonder Gadot in 2018, and last year with Paramount Prince, in partnership with Michael Langlois. Manfred and Penny Conrad own both Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot.
The list of secondary contenders includes No More Options, Pierre, Jokestar, War Painter, Piper’s Factor, Roscar, and Cooler Man.
No More Options won a 7 1/2-furlong Ontario-sired allowance around two turns on the inner turf in his penultimate race before finishing just a head behind Essex Serpent in third in the Queenston. The son of hot Ontario sire Frac Daddy is out of a half-sister to Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. Zeljko Krcmar trains him for his daughter Mary Self.
Pierre was a fast-finishing third after a troubled break when debuting in December. He won for the first time in another maiden special sprint off a winter layoff on May 4 and then closed from far off a sizzling pace for second most recently in a 1 1/16-mile allowance won by an older opponent.
“Pierre is still learning,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “The last experience is going to do him well. It was his first two-turn race. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t win, but I definitely think it was a step in the right direction for him.”
Jokestar was along for third behind Pierre in the same June 23 allowance, a race that’s somewhat hard to interpret because of the suicidal fractions set by a run-off leader. Both Pierre and Jokestar are owned by Minnesotans Al and Bill Ulwelling.
:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.
Attard trains a host of prospects for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on July 20, most notably War Painter. She shed her hanging tendencies when winning an Ontario-sired allowance route with a modest 74 Beyer on June 6 and has since worked impressively, including a head-and-head five-furlong breeze with champion Moira in a bullet 59.80 seconds on June 29.
Piper’s Factor never fired when a chalky fifth in the Marine, which came on the heels of a decisive allowance score over older rivals, for which he got an 85 Beyer. The Katerina Vassilieva trainee is headed to the Plate Trial.
Chiefswood Stables owns Piper’s Factor and the Rachel Halden-trained Roscar, who wound up third behind Piper’s Factor in the May 12 allowance. When turning back from 1 1/16 miles most recently in the Queenston, Roscar wasn’t a factor after getting away slowly, but he is certainly eligible to get back on track when stretching out again.
Cooler Man has never competed around two turns on Tapeta, but the stretch-runner was an eye-catching winner last out in an Ontario-sired allowance going 7 1/2 furlongs on the inner turf for owner-trainer Nick Nosowenko.
Fifty-three horses remain eligible for the King’s Plate. Those not nominated can be supplemented at a cost of $25,000 on entry day.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.