Woodbine Oaks, Plate Trial winners being considered for the Queen's Plate

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Historically, horses that run well in the Woodbine Oaks and Plate Trial Stakes have gone on to have success in the Queen’s Plate. Following Saturday’s running of the Oaks and the Plate Trial, connections of the respective winners, Desert Ride in the Oaks and Pay for Peace in the Plate Trial, said the Queen’s Plate would be under consideration.

Last year’s Woodbine Oaks runner-up, Wonder Gadot, and 2017 Woodbine Oaks winner, Holy Helena, both went on to win the Queen’s Plate in their next start. Sam-Son Farm homebred Desert Ride could become the third consecutive filly to win the Queen’s Plate following her narrow victory over Bold Script in Saturday’s Woodbine Oaks.

Both Rick Balaz, the president and general manager of Sam-Son Farm, and Mark Samuel, the chief executive officer, said no decision on a potential start in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on June 29 would be made until they saw how Desert Ride came out of her Oaks victory.

“A fantastic filly from a fantastic family and we’re just so happy to be back up here again,” Balaz said. “It’s been a little while for us and it’s pretty exciting. We’ll see where we go next with her, but hopefully she’s got a great future.”

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Sam-Son Farm recorded its record eighth Woodbine Oaks win, but it was its first since 2004, which was won by Desert Ride’s second dam, Eye of the Sphynx. Sam-Son Farm has won the Queen’s Plate with a filly twice before, with Dancethruthedawn in 2001 and with Canadian Triple Crown winner Dance Smartly in 1991.

Plate Trial Stakes winners have also seen their fair share of success in the Plate. While the last Plate Trial winner to win the Queen’s Plate was Big Red Mike in 2010, the 2016 Plate Trial winner Amis Gizmo and 2015 Plate Trial winner Danish Dynaformer both went on to run second in the Queen’s Plate. Pay for Peace will be trying for similar success this year following his 19-1 upset victory in the Plate Trial.

Winning trainer Rachel Halden said the connections were not considering a run in the Queen’s Plate heading into the Plate Trial, but would now following Pay for Peace’s 1 3/4-length victory over Federal Law.

“We weren’t thinking about it,” she said. “I think this horse will step up on the turf and we’ve been thinking Breeders’. He did jump up and run a big race today. We’ll definitely be thinking about it now and we’ll see how he comes out of it and have a discussion with his owners.”