Woodbine Oaks winner Neshama being considered for Queen's Plate

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine Oaks winner Neshama might run back in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on July 3, trainer Catherine Day Phillips said.

Neshama got a perfect trip under Eurico Da Silva to win the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks by a nose over a troubled Gamble’s Ghost on Sunday. The 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks and Sunday’s 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial Stakes served as key local preps for the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate.

“She was determined,” Day Phillips said. “I feel if the race was further, she would keep fighting. We’ll see how she comes out of it. She’s not a big filly, so we’ll just see how she comes out of it and decide from there.”

Neshama has not been made eligible to the Queen’s Plate and would have to be supplemented for $25,000.

Although they lost the Woodbine Oaks with Gamble’s Ghost, trainer Josie Carroll and owner-breeder Ivan Dalos won the Plate Trial with Amis Gizmo, who punched his ticket to the Queen’s Plate.

Amis Gizmo ran fifth in his first start of the year in the Wando Stakes here on April 24, but Dalos said Amis Gizmo is back on track after the Plate Trial.

“We found he had a little bit of a problem,” he said. “There was an excuse for him to run as bad as he did. Now that we have it figured out, we’re back in business.”

Both Amis Gizmo and Gamble’s Ghost are eligible to the Queen’s Plate.