Queen's Plate top three all appear headed for Prince of Wales

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wonder Gadot drew away to win the 159th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate by 4 3/4 lengths at Woodbine on Saturday, and will likely use the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes to set up a start in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 18, trainer Mark Casse said.

The top three finishers from Saturday’s Queen’s Plate – Wonder Gadot, Aheadbyacentury, and Cooler Mike – will all be pointed toward the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie on July 24. The second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales will be run over 1 3/16 miles on dirt.

Casse said Wonder Gadot emerged from her Queen’s Plate victory in good order on Sunday morning following hot and humid weather in the Toronto area on Saturday. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro has run consistently since her career debut at Woodbine last August, and Casse said she appears to thrive on racing, much like his other Queen’s Plate winner, Lexie Lou.

Casse said Wonder Gadot could ship to Saratoga to train up to the Prince of Wales.

“I want to look at the timing and when we’re going to be set up,” he said. “Being that we’re going to run on the dirt, I wouldn’t mind training her on the dirt. I may leave her here and just train her on the dirt training track.”

Casse said he would also point Flameaway to the Prince of Wales Stakes following his sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 23.

Flameaway was a highly regarded Queen’s Plate prospect through the winter and into the spring as he accumulated points toward the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 5. Following his 13th-place finish at Churchill Downs, Casse opted to point him toward the Ohio Derby instead of the Queen’s Plate.

Casse said Flameaway might have been off too long between the Kentucky Derby and his start in the Ohio Derby.

“Flameaway’s kind of a difficult horse to train in that he doesn’t put a lot into his breezes,” Casse said. “I wanted to give him a little break after the Derby, so I was kind of in between. I think he was a little flat and maybe a little short for the Ohio Derby. I think once I can get him back into the swing of running every four weeks, he’ll be a better horse. I think the Prince of Wales sets up perfect for him.”

Trainer John Ross and owner Jack of Hearts Racing will look to defend their Prince of Wales Stakes title with Aheadbyacentury after having won the race last year with Cool Catomine. Ross said the dirt shouldn’t be an issue for Queen’s Plate runner-up Aheadbyacentury, as the colt has trained on Woodbine’s dirt training track.

“We’ll just see how we go along this week,” he said. “He likes the dirt. He trained down at Payson Park on the dirt there, so I don’t see the dirt being any issue with him. He seems to go over it well.”

Ross said he was happy with Aheadbyacentury’s trip in the Queen’s Plate, despite a little trouble on the backstretch. Aheadbyacentury was sent off at 28-1.

“He made a nice run, especially at the odds he was at,” he said. “We were thrilled that he finished up good. He got a little delayed down the backside. I don’t know if he could have caught the filly, but he could have been closer. He finished up well, so I was really happy.”

Trainer Nick Nosowenko was also pleased with Cooler Mike’s third-place finish under Jesse Campbell in the Queen’s Plate. The Giant Gizmo gelding has now hit the board in six of his nine starts and has never finished worse than fourth.

“It was a big, big race,” Nosowenko said. “He liked the rail and had a nice hold of him behind the speed. They were going pretty quick, so that maybe hurt us a bit because all of the sudden the speed stopped in front of him. It wasn’t that bad. I don’t think it would have changed the outcome. We’re pretty happy.”

Nosowenko said the heat didn’t appear to have an impact on Cooler Mike, who came out of the race well and will now be pointed to the Prince of Wales.

“[Saturday] night we had a little party back there and he was out there biting everybody and playing,” he said. “He was as cool as a cucumber, and the way he came out of it, there was no problem. It was like a normal race for him.”

◗ Woodbine handled $14,625,756 over 13 races for the Queen’s Plate card on Saturday afternoon, which was up 8 percent over last year’s Queen’s Plate program, which had the same number of races. Saturday’s handle was also a Queen’s Plate Day record, and is the second-highest handle day in track history, behind the 1996 Breeders’ Cup card.