Queen's Plate hopefuls square off in mandatory-payout Jackpot Hi 5
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – There will be a mandatory payout in the Jackpot Hi 5 in Saturday’s nightcap at Woodbine, which had a carryover of more than $236,000 heading into this week.
Seven of the nine entrants in the 10th race are eligible for the $1 million Queen’s Plate, including Stronger Together, who’s listed as a new gelding in the 1 1/8-mile maiden special on the Tapeta.
Stronger Together earned black type when third in last year’s Cup and Saucer Stakes, after which he ran 10th in the Coronation Futurity. The fast worker finished second, third, and fourth in three maiden-special starts since the Oct. 30 Coronation.
Trainer Sid Attard is hopeful that Stronger Together will be more focused as a gelding.
“He was bad in the paddock last time, so we schooled him,” Attard said. “We’re going to school him again and see what happens. He trains good.”
Rafael Hernandez will ride Stronger Together for the first time. The son of Liam’s Map is owned by Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson’s Spruce Park Stable.
Among the others eligible for the Aug. 21 Plate, a 1 1/4-mile test for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, are Guard of Honour, Bill Needle, Hall of Dreams, and Bringer of Rain. All four placed in maiden special company going 1 1/16 miles last out.
Competitive group in feature
There’s no stakes on Saturday’s card, and the feature is the ninth, a conditioned allowance sprint for fillies and mares that can be pared down to Ghaaleb the Great, Ms Vancougar, and Hazelbrook.
Ghaaleb the Great was claimed for $30,000 by trainer Norm McKnight in February at Oaklawn Park, where she was a slow-starting fourth in a four-horse starter allowance in April. She came from third to land her local debut in a conditioned allowance on the Tapeta, in just her second start on a synthetic surface.
Ms Vancougar was odds-on in her May 28 season opener, during which she led until deep stretch before getting overhauled late by Ghaaleb the Great. She notched both of her Tapeta starts in the fall, against maiden special rivals and first-level allowance types.
Hazelbrook hasn’t raced since Sept. 25, but the lightly raced 4-year-old has a history of winning off a layoff, having turned the trick twice last year under Jason Hoyte.
Millennium Force lost a second-level allowance/optional claimer traveling five-eighths on the inner turf three weeks ago by a nose after pressing the pace. She was previously fifth in a tough edition of the Grade 3 Whimsical, going the six-furlong distance of Saturday’s feature.
Amalfi Coast awaited room along the inside in the stretch before surging late to finish a close third behind Millennium Force in her improved second start off the shelf on June 4.
Rounding out the ninth-race lineup are Owen’s Tour Guide and Billyjane.