ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Fillies have played a prominent role throughout Queen’s Plate history, and this year’s Queen’s Plate field could see three fillies enter the starting gate after the result of the Woodbine Oaks on Aug. 15.

A total of 37 fillies have won the Plate in the 160 runnings of the race, and a filly has won the Queen’s Plate in four of the last 10 runnings. The most recent filly to win the race was Wonder Gadot in 2018, and Inglorious (2011), Lexie Lou (2014), and Holy Helena (2017) parlayed success in the Woodbine Oaks into Queen’s Plate glory.

Trainer Karl Broberg won with all six starters he had on Wednesday night’s card at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La.

Broberg’s run of winners started in the third race with Breezy Bee ($4.40). He then won the fourth race with De Bird Is Da Word ($11), the fifth with Boston Bind ($4.40), the seventh with Take Charge Chase ($10.80), the eighth with Island Hideaway ($10.40), and the ninth with Move It ($3.80).

Tim Thornton rode five of Broberg’s winners, while Ty Kennedy was aboard Island Hideaway.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jorge Abreu, in his fifth year training on his own, is putting together a strong stable and he’s enjoying a solid Saratoga meet, with 6 wins from 18 starters through the first 24 days.

“The horses are running really well,” Abreu said. “I ran a lot of horses at Belmont that weren’t supposed to run, that was the wrong spot, but I just wanted to get them ready for Saratoga.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mark Casse hopes Got Stormy can turn around her 2020 campaign in Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave Handicap and, in turn, reverse course on what has been a trying Saratoga meet for the newly elected Hall of Fame trainer.

Entering Thursday’s card, Casse was winless with 28 starters at Saratoga. He has six seconds, four of those coming in stakes.

“It’s not been pretty,” Casse said by phone from Florida. “We’ve been unlucky in a few spots.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Snap Decision, who has become a rising star in the steeplechase division over the past 13 1/2 months, stretched his win streak to seven after cruising to a relatively easy victory in Wednesday’s opening race at Saratoga, the Michael G. Walsh Novice Steeplechase. Snap Decision won off by 5 1/4 lengths under confident handling by jockey Sean McDermott, despite carrying an imposing 165 pounds for 2 3/8 miles over the National fences.

Del Mar raised purses in late July after a successful start to its current summer meeting that began July 10. If business remains strong through closing day on Sept. 7, a top executive of the owners’ organization said the excess funding should be devoted to the track’s autumn meeting, which runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 29.

“Unless it’s a crazy high number, it will be rolled forward,” said Greg Avioli, president of the Thoroughbred Owners of California.

The presence of the French imports Miss Extra and Neige Blanche give Saturday’s competitive Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks international depth.

Miss Extra, who recently joined trainer Richard Mandella’s stable, won the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham at about a mile on June 19 at Chantilly for her third consecutive win and was later ninth of 11 at 20-1 in the Group 1 French Oaks at the same course on July 5.

The last stop on the road is within sight. After 44 points-scoring races over 11 months, those desirous of running at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, and their rankings on the points list, are set. As of Wednesday, there were just 21 horses still under consideration for the Derby, with at least two of those not certain to run in the race, leading to the very real possibility that fewer than the maximum of 20 will enter, let alone run.

The New York Racing Association will cut race days at both the Belmont and Aqueduct fall meets due to the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said this week.

On Wednesday, NYRA announced that the Belmont Park fall schedule will consist of 27 days, eight fewer than intended. The meet will begin Sept. 18 – a week later than planned – and run through Nov. 1, with racing conducted mostly four days a week. NYRA did not yet announce a schedule for the Aqueduct fall season.

WHO'S HOT

With the points-scoring races now completed, the order of preference is known for the prospective field for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, and that will be the overriding factor on who moves onto the list. This week, Shirl’s Speight and Winning Impression are the two newcomers. Shirl’s Speight is a 30-1 shot on the line of Marty McGee of Daily Racing Form, with Winning Impression at 50-1, one of eight horses McGee has at that price.