Queen's Plate: Avie's Flatter gets post 14, favored at 5-2
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Reigning Canadian champion 2-year-old male Avie’s Flatter got the outside post in a field of 14 and was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine, the opening leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Avie’s Flatter, the Queen’s Plate winter-book favorite, won his season opener in the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland. He struggled with the course when a close sixth in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill. That May 4 race on Kentucky Derby Day was his last start, and he will compete for the first time in eight weeks in the Plate. Javier Castellano retains the mount.
“We thought about running him in the Plate Trial, but we want to go in with a fresh horse,” said trainer Josie Carroll, who has won the Plate twice.
One Bad Boy ships in from Southern California off a second in the one-mile Alcatraz Stakes over Golden Gate’s Tapeta. Trainer Richard Baltas is taking the blinkers off, hoping the ridgling will relax enough to stay the 10-furlong distance of the Plate. The likely pacesetter under Derby-winning rider Flavien Prat, he starts from post 5 as the 7-2 second choice.
Wando Stakes winner Skywire begins from post 9 as the 4-1 third choice. Trained by Mark Casse, he has worked encouragingly since ending up second to Global Asset in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes.
“I think Skywire is an extremely talented horse,” said Casse, who will give Eurico Da Silva a leg up. “He runs hard, and he’s training exceptionally well right now.”
Kentucky-based Tone Broke is making his first start on a synthetic surface off a second in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico to King for a Day, who came back to upset Maximum Security in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Tone Broke, a 6-1 shot, will break from post 11 under Luis Contreras, who was Asmussen’s go-to rider when he had a string at Woodbine a few years ago.
Desert Ride, the lone filly in the lineup, rates next in line at 8-1 from post 1. She went back to her Churchill base after capturing the June 8 Woodbine Oaks in her first Tapeta outing under Steven Bahen, who took the 2002 Plate on the rank outside T J’s Lucky Moon. Neil Howard trains her for Sam-Son Farm, which has won the Plate with two fillies, Dance Smartly and her daughter Dancethruthedawn.
Rounding out the field of Canadian-bred 3-year-olds are Federal Law (15-1), He’s a Macho Man (15-1), Jammin Still (30-1), Krachenwagen (50-1), Lucas n’ Lori (50-1), Moon Swings (30-1), Pay for Peace (15-1), Rising Star (30-1), and Suitedconnected (50-1).
