My Boy Prince made 7-5 favorite for 165th King's Plate
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario -- Canadian champion 2-year-old My Boy Prince was tabbed as the 7-5 morning line favorite for Saturday’s 165th edition of the $1 million King’s Plate at Woodbine.
My Boy Prince will take a three-race win streak into the 1 1/4-mile event for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds and is coming off a workmanlike score in the Plate Trial Stakes. The Gary Barber-owned Cairo Prince colt drew post 7 with Sahin Civaci along for the ride.
“He didn't change a whole lot from 2 to 3,” trainer Mark Casse said. “I thought he'd grow up a little bit more as he was maturing -- he's not a very big horse -- but as far as his progression, he was so good at 2 that he didn't need to progress a whole lot at 3. I think he's matured a little bit. He's learned to settle a little better.”
My Boy Prince is one of three Casse-trained entrants in the 13-horse field, along two runners owned by Manfred and Penny Conrad -- Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot.
From post 3, Essex Serpent (2-1) could give My Boy Prince a run for his money under Patrick Husbands, who teamed up with Casse to capture last year’s Plate on Barber’s Paramount Prince. The lightly raced gelding is coming off an impressive score in the Grade 3 Marine in his first start around two turns.
“He [wants to go] as far as they write them,” Casse said. “Patrick loves him.”
Midnight Mascot (10-1) drew post five with Woodbine’s former leading rider Kazushi Kimura aboard. The Woodstock Stakes winner was a wide-closing third in the 1 1/16-mile Marine, from which the Kentucky-based runner-up Cameo Performance exited to land a stakes at Ellis Park.
Woodbine Oaks runner-up Caitlinhergrtness, named after women's basketball star Caitlin Clark, will try to become the 39th filly to win the historic race. The Kevin Attard-trained chestnut got post 4 and is 12-1 on the line under Rafael Hernandez, who won the 2022 Plate on Moira for Attard. The $375,000 2-year-old purchase is owned by the partnership of Siena Farm and WinStar Farm.
Attard also sends out a pair of 20-1 shots, Pierre and Jokestar, for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling, along with Bedard (30-1) for Moira’s owners X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing.
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Trainer Harold Ladouceur will saddle the Stronach Stable runners Rafaroo (8-1) and Vitailty (20-1). The lightly raced maiden Rafaroo rallied for second in the Plate Trial and would appear to have some upside.
Friendly Ghost set soft fractions in the nine-furlong Plate Trial before weakening to third in his first race after winning a six-furlong maiden special. The 30-1 shot is trained by Evette Chartrand-Hoek for owner Sue Leslie.
Rounding out the Plate lineup are No More Options (30-1), Thor’s Cause (50-1), and Roar of the Crowd (50-1).
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