Lynch lauds Ginger Brew's near-miss effort

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ginger Brew's presence added an intriguing dimension to the Queen's Plate, as the filly from Stronach Stable swung back just two weeks after romping in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks.

And while Ginger Brew's bid came up just short of catching the victorious Not Bourbon, her trainer, Brian Lynch, had nothing but praise for his filly on Monday morning.

"I thought she ran her eyeballs out," said Lynch. "We just got outrun. Give full credit to the winner."

Fort Erie's $500,000 Prince of Wales, the 1 3/16-mile race on July 13 that is the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, is not on Ginger Brew's agenda.

But the $500,000 Breeders', the 1 1/2-mile turf race that closes out the series for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds here Aug. 3, is a target.

"We'll probably give her a little break, and then take a shot at the Breeders' with her," said Lynch. "She sure looked like she could have gone on at the wire there yesterday. She wasn't giving it up - she was kicking on."

Ginger Brew is proven on turf, with two wins in three starts, including the 1 1/8-mile Calder Oaks.

Bond looks beyond loss

Solitaire, one of four maidens running in the Queen's Plate, was coming off a close second-place finish to Not Bourbon in the Plate Trial for jockey Robert Landry and trainer Jim Bond. But on Sunday, Solitaire had to settle for third money after trailing the field with a half-mile to run and being forced to rally very wide.

"I don't think you can give up 44 feet going a mile and a quarter," said Bond, referring to the Trakus measurement of Solitaire's distance traveled relative to the winner and noting that his colt was beaten by just 4 1/2 lengths.

Solitaire was back at Saratoga on Monday, and Bond is unsure of his next move.

"I think the mile and a half on the grass, there is something I'd want to try with him," said Bond, referring to the Breeders'. "We'll see how he comes out of this, and then to decide whether we want to go to Fort Erie with him for the middle leg.

"We'll let him decide what the future is. I know he's a nice colt, know he can run, and he's still learning. He has a lot of options."

Several encouraging performances

Deputiformer and East End Tap, the fourth and sixth finishers in the Queen's Plate, are probable entrants for the Prince of Wales.

"I thought my horse ran real well," said trainer Mike DePaulo, after watching Deputiformer hit the front with a quarter-mile to run and wind up just a neck shy of third money.

East End Tap finished just a half-length behind Deputiformer after evening out late.

"I was extremely happy with him," said trainer Reade Baker. "We'll try again."

Mamma's Knight (seventh) and Sebastian's Song (10th) also could resurface at Fort Erie.

Trained by Sam DiPasquale, Mamma's Knight was beaten a total of 6 1/2 lengths.

"I was happy with his race," said DiPasquale. "He was running on end. It's just part of a learning curve."

Sebastian's Song, trained by Alec Fehr, tried to rally on the turn but came up empty.

"The dirt may be to his liking," said trainer Alec Fehr, with respect to the switch from Polytrack for the Prince of Wales. "He was working very well at Palm Meadows."

Palmers (fifth), Took the Time (eighth), Shadowless (11th), and Dylan's Choice (14th) all are likely to return to allowance company, with Palmers and Shadowless looking toward turf.

Maidens returning to their level

Jungle Brew (9th), Silver Jag (12th), and D. Flutie (13th) were the other maidens in the Queen's Plate field and all are expected to return to their proper levels.

Harvest Home, who was scheduled to be a fifth maiden contestant, was scratched after injuring himself in his stall.