Woodbine: Queen’splatekitten pulls away in Marine Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Queen’splatekitten ($3.30) prepped for the $1 million Queen’s Plate with an impressive score Saturday at Woodbine in the $171,600 Marine Stakes.

Queen’splatekitten rated kindly off a moderate pace in the 1 1/16-mile route for 3-year-olds. He trailed the six-horse field heading into the far turn, before launching an eye-catching four-wide bid at the three-eighths pole.

Queen’splatekitten hit the front early in the stretch and then drew clear to prevail by three lengths over another Belmont-based runner, Walker’s Landing, winning in a time of 1:44.53. Oh Canada punched his ticket to the June 26 Plate by finishing another neck back in third.

Eurico Da Silva rode Queen’splatekitten for trainer Todd Pletcher, who also won last year’s Marine with Exhi.

“He’s a very relaxed horse,” Da Silva said. “He falls asleep in your hands. I pressed him just a little bit on the [far] turn, just to catch up to them. From there, I let him run very easy.”

Queen’splatekitten, who was coming off a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, banked $108,000 in his first stakes win for Mill House.