Tiz a Slam early 3-1 favorite for Queen's Plate

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Cup and Saucer Stakes winner Tiz a Slam has been installed as the early 3-1 favorite for the 158th Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on July 2.

The Queen’s Plate winter book, compiled by Ron Gierkink and Alex Campbell of Daily Racing Form and Keith McCalmont, manager of communications for the Woodbine Entertainment Group, offers hypothetical odds on all 91 3-year-olds nominated to the Canadian Triple Crown.

Tiz a Slam recorded three wins in four starts as a 2-year-old in 2016 at Woodbine, highlighted by a 1 3/4-length victory in the $250,000 Cup and Saucer Stakes on Oct. 22. Tiz a Slam also ran fourth in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes on Sept. 18, earning a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Tiz a Slam has been working toward his 3-year-old debut with trainer Roger Attfield at the Payson Park training center in Indiantown, Fla., and could start in a Kentucky Derby prep.

“I gave him a little more time off than I maybe should have, but he’ll almost certainly start here in Florida and might go to the Tampa Bay Derby or the Spiral,” Attfield said. “He’s got a lot of options.”

This is the second year in a row that Attfield has trained the Queen’s Plate winter-book favorite. Last year, Shakhimat ran fifth in the Queen’s Plate after being named the early favorite for the race. Should Tiz a Slam win the Queen’s Plate, he would give Attfield a record ninth Queen’s Plate victory and the trainer’s first since 2008.

“If I can pull it off one day, it would be super,” Attfield said. “It’s nice to be here in Florida at the moment with one that looks like he could be a Plate horse. With a little bit of racing luck, anything can happen.”

Coronation Futurity winner King and His Court was named the 5-1 second choice. The son of Court Vision joined the Mark Casse barn prior to the Coronation Futurity following a private sale. He then won the Display Stakes at Woodbine to close out his 2-year-old season on Dec. 3 and made his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 7.

Sam F. Davis third-place finisher State of Honor was named the 6-1 third choice. State of Honor has been productive on dirt this winter in Florida, as he also ran second in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 7.

Channel Maker was the 8-1 fourth choice following a 2-year-old campaign that saw him win the Vandal Stakes at Woodbine on Aug. 14 and finish third in the Summer Stakes on turf at Woodbine. He closed out his season with a seventh-place finish behind Oscar Performance in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

Woodbridge completes the top five choices and is listed at 10-1. He was third behind Channel Maker in the Vandal Stakes on turf and won his maiden in his fourth start – his first going around two turns – on Oct. 2. He closed out his 2-year-old season with a troubled sixth-place finish behind King and His Court in the Coronation Futurity on Nov. 13.

Rounding out the top 10 are Malibu Secret (12-1), Joseph E. “Spanky” Broussard Memorial Stakes winner Stallion Heiress (14-1), Sailing Home (16-1), Ontario Lassie Stakes winner Ellan Vannin (18-1), and Guy Caballero (20-1).

The full list of Canadian Triple Crown nominees with odds is available at www.queensplate.com.