Queen's Plate Watch: Jammin Still giving Attard optimism ahead of Plate Trial
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Kevin Attard hasn’t had a Queen’s Plate starter in 10 years, but is back on the trail this year with the promising 3-year-old Jammin Still.
Attard’s last Queen’s Plate starter was Bucephalus, who finished 10th in 2009, but Attard almost won with his first Queen’s Plate starter two years earlier. Alezzandro, who was making just his third start in the Queen’s Plate after debuting just six weeks before, finished second to Mike Fox in 2007. He won the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie in his next start.
“Considering the schedule he was thrown, he was a little short on seasoning compared to his rivals,” Attard said. “He fared pretty well in the Queen’s Plate. It was a tough beat, no doubt about it. It was the third start of his life, and he got a little tired on us.”
Attard has been high on Jammin Still since owner Derek Chin asked him to train the son of Take Charge Indy. Chin and Attard began their partnership in 2016 and have experienced success together, including at last year’s Canadian Millions Sales Stakes Day, where they won two stakes together with Trini Brewnette and Blessed Two.
“That was a good highlight,” Attard said. “Derek was ecstatic that day. He’s been great to work for. He gives me free rein with the horses, and that’s always nice. I can’t say enough about him. Derek’s been investing money into the game every year, buying yearlings or 2-year-olds from the sale, so he deserves to get lucky. He’s really excited with this horse in particular.”
Bred in Ontario by the late William Graham, Jammin Still was purchased by Chin for $87,000 out of the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2017. Jammin Still showed promise right from the start, winning his career debut on turf last September. Attard had plans of running Jammin Still in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes and Coronation Futurity and wanted to get Jammin Still racing experience, but a few hiccups forced Attard’s hand in running on grass the first time out.
“I had a couple of setbacks getting him to the races,” Attard said. “Those good races were coming up, so I wanted to get him a start so we could get on to that path. It just happened to be the turf. He has some turf pedigree to him, so I wasn’t really concerned about him not handling the turf.”
Off his debut victory, Jammin Still was entered in the Grey Stakes. He was up close to the moderate pace early on but faded to sixth.
“We were expecting big things from him first time out, and he didn’t disappoint,” Attard said. “His next start was a little bit of a disappointment. I was hoping he was going to move forward off of his win, and he didn’t. Then you’re kind of concerned about whether he’s just a turf horse or not.”
Attard gave Jammin Still one more try on the Tapeta as a juvenile in the Coronation Futurity over 1 1/8 miles. This time, he was off the pace and finished fifth behind Avie’s Flatter and Federal Law, but Attard was encouraged with how Jammin Still ran late in the race.
“I didn’t think the Coronation race was all that bad,” he said. “He was getting a little rank in those races a little bit. He wasn’t beaten that far, really. I wasn’t disappointed. It wasn’t a bad showing, and we put him away for the winter and gave him some time off.”
Jammin Still spent the winter with Michael Cooke at Classic Mile in Ocala, Fla., and resumed training in January. He did not race over the winter and shipped up to Woodbine to continue preparations for his 3-year-old debut. He finished second in an allowance race around two turns May 20, but experienced some traffic trouble.
“It was an unfortunate trip, but I was happy,” Attard said. “He relaxed really well that day, so that was a big bonus. He showed a really good turn of foot once he had room, so that’s always exciting. With him being 3 and the Queen’s Plate as a hope at that point, it gives you a little excitement and a little energy.”
Jammin Still will start Saturday in the $125,000 Plate Trial, and if all goes well, he will proceed on to the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on June 29. Attard said he has no concerns about the distance of the Queen’s Plate, but noted that whether Jammin Still settles early in the race will be a big factor in how he performs.
“As long as he keeps settled in the races and relaxes, I don’t think the distance should be an issue,” he said. “He seems like a good stayer. He also has a bit of a stubborn side to him, so if he does happen to get rank, that’s going to hurt his chances.”
