Woodbine: Plate Trial prospects tune up

Strait of Dover, Classic Bryce, Beeker Street, and Perfect Tay all breezed at Woodbine Monday morning in preparation for possible appearances in Sunday’s Plate Trial.

The prospective field for the $150,000 Plate Trial, a 1 1/8 mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, is hard to nail down because several nominees have options in upcoming allowance races.

Strait of Dover, trained by Danny Vella, breezed five furlongs in 1:02 with regular rider Justin Stein aboard and without the blinkers which he wears on race days.

“I just wanted a slow work,” said Vella. “The plan right now is to go to the Plate Trial.”

Strait of Dover would be favored in the Plate Trial off his 6 1/2-length win in the 1 1/16-mile Marine here May 12.

Classic Bryce, runner-up in the Marine and in the earlier Wando Stakes at the same distance in his two starts this year, went six furlongs in 1:15 under Luis Contreras, who has the call for the Plate Trial.

“I just wanted a nice, long kind of work,” said trainer Darwin Banach, who caught Classic Bryce galloping out seven furlongs in 1:28. “I didn’t want anything too fast.”

Beeker Street, undefeated in two starts at seven furlongs including the Queenston Stakes, was clocked in a bullet :59.80 under regular rider Patrick Husbands.

“It was a good work,” said Carroll. “I told Patrick I was looking for about a minute. It was pretty much bang-on what we wanted to do.”

Perfect Tay, conditioned by Lorne Richards, breezed five furlongs in 1:03.20 under exercise rider/jockey Carl Defreitas.

“He’s doing good now,” said Lorne Richards, who was disappointed with Perfect Tay’s fourth-place finish in the Wando, which was his local and Polytrack bow.

Other probable entrants for the Plate Trial include Big Creek, who shipped in to finish third for Todd Pletcher in the Wando; Making Amends, runner-up in the Queenston; Menlo Castle, a close fourth in the Queenston; and Dead On, seventh but beaten just four lengths in the Queenston.

Menlo Castle, trained by Ralph Biamonte, breezed five furlongs in a bullet 59.60 with jockey Omar Moreno in the irons here Sunday.

“It’s the best he’s very breezed,” said Biamonte. “He pulled up good, and came back good.

Dead On and Making Amends both breezed four furlongs on Sunday with Dead On clocked in 48.80 under Todd Kabel and Making Amends going in 48.40.

Big Creek breezed four furlongs in 49 at Saratoga.