Paramount Prince takes early lead in King's Plate all the way home

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Paramount Prince went straight to the front under Patrick Husbands and never looked back to take Sunday’s $1 million King’s Plate over a determined Elysian Field, giving trainer Mark Casse a sweep of the exacta in the Canadian classic, formerly known as the Queen’s Plate.

After the scratch of El Cohete, Paramount Prince ($18) was the controlling speed in the 1 1/4-mile Tapeta event, and he broke sharply before setting fractions of 23.28, 47.41 and 1:11.81.

Velocitor and Silent Miracle stalked the leader while Woodbine Oaks winner Elysian Field saved ground in fourth under Sahin Civaci.

Elysian Field closed the gap on the far turn and then took dead aim at Paramount Prince at the top of the stretch, but Paramount Prince opened up his advantage again en route to a 1 1/2-length victory.

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Stanley House rallied from 11th under Javier Castellano to finish another 1 1/2 lengths back in third. He was followed by Velocitor, Touch’n Ride, Enjoythesilent, Cool Kiss, Twin City, Philip My Dear, Moon Landing, Wickenheiser, Twowaycrossing, 4-1 favorite Kalik, Morstachy’s, Kaukokaipuu, Silent Miracle and Midnight in Malibu.

The final time of 2:01.93 wasn’t far off Moira’s synthetic track record of 2:01.48, set in last year’s Plate.

“I worked this horse last week and I told (assistant trainer David Adams) to tell Mark to bring his suit,” Husbands joked. “I got a clean break. I let him do what he likes to do best, and he just enjoyed the running. When I asked him when he got on his right lead in the lane, he was just gone.”

It was the third Plate victory for both Husbands and Casse, who said Paramount Prince is a fast breaker who used that to his advantage when he won both the Plate and the Plate Trial Stakes in his first start around two turns.

“He’s a great-moving horse,” Casse said. “Patrick told me last time this horse breaks so sharp and that he wasn’t going to take it away from him, and that’s what happened in the Plate Trial. I thought some other horses would go, but he (can) win the race at the start.”

Paramount Prince changed trainers to Casse from Jamie Attard last fall after Gary Barber bought an interest in the gelding from Michael Langlois after his nine-length debut win. Elysian Field was purchased by Barber and Team Valor International after ending up second in her first start last summer at Saratoga.

“After we bought Elysian Field, she went into a clinic and nearly died,” Casse recalled. “She had an impaction that took a lot out of her, and then we sent her home to Ocala. And then we bought him after his first start and Gary left him with Jamie (for one start). When he came to Ocala, he was a different horse.

“We were shocked that he got beat the first few couple times (this spring), but I think the key to that is he just doesn’t want to run short. He wants to use his speed, and that’s what Patrick did. So many times, you get a horse where his strong point is to do one thing, and if you take that away from him, you’re hurting him. Patrick never does that.”

Paramount Prince earned $600,000, which boosted his bankroll to $784,380 . The son of Society’s Chaiman was a $21,000 purchase at the 2021 Canadian Premier Yearling Sales from breeder Ericka Rusnak, who earned a breeder’s award of $50,000.

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