The Kings Plate ($1,000.000 Purse)
WO- For Three Year Olds Foaled in Canada
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
August 17, 2024
All eyes will be north of the border on Saturday, as the most prestigious race for Canadian horses will take place. It is the 19th running of the Kings Plate, offering a $1,000.000 purse and plenty of honor for its winner. We’ll have nine going to post, but some of these horses are not particularly known outside of their own stable. Four of the nine horses have earned less than $100.000 in their careers, and only one has made more than $200.000. Does this mean it is a down year for breeding in Canada? Or are the top Canadian horses just preferring other races, likely in the US, right now? Last year saw the change in the name of the race from the Queens Plate to the Kings Plate, so naturally it was won by a filly. The still active Appreciate got the win for Mo Mentum Farm, the third time that he has won this race. Only Australia Wide, who won the first four editions, has more such wins, but the first two wins were in races where horses did not have to be Canadian bred (and they weren’t), so we’ll give the crown to Mo Mentum Farm for being the top trainer in the race’s current restricted condition. Let’s meet the field of nine. You don’t know many of these horses, but they have amazing opportunity for a massive payday:
Please Note: Due to RL plans Saturday into Sunday, the recap for this race and all of my races this weekend may not be submitted until Sunday evening. But don’t worry, it will be coming.
1- Duke Of Love (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J Talamo)- Makes his stake debut here in the Kings Plate, but should not be overmatched. He’s won a tick more than $100.000 for his career, thanks to hitting the board in six of nine races. Comes here off an allowance win at seven furlongs. His previous race at this distance was a struggle but maybe that was just because a stable hand forgot to put a shadow roll on.
2- Jerome The Bus (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by E J Wilson)- Raced a few weeks ago down at SAR in the Grade 2 Dandy, and powered his way home to a third-place finish in that race. While other horses that hit the board there are probably thinking about the Travers, Jerome The Bus heads north with a lot of potential here. If he can duplicate that performance, he will be very hard for another to bring down.
3- Mountain King (Paradise Stable, ridden by V Espinoza)- Well, it’s not earnings that is going to get people to bet on this one, as the colt has made just $14.080 for his career. Instead, it will be a nice work that he had here in late July and some generally competitive performances that saw him finish in every HRP’s trainer’s least popular spot: fifth. This is one that will be looking to make a late run unless the trainer opts to change things.
4- Plumbus (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Pennington)- The earnings are not there in the middle of the starting gate, as Plumbus is shy of $30.000 in his eleven race career. He’s been an inconsistent horse in a mid-level allowances and his most recent mile work is not going to intimidate anyone here. However, he is here, and will others following a similar path to the race, he could pull of a surprise.
5- Authentic (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by E Maldonado)- He’s only made $12.060 in his career, with the lone win being a maiden claimer at BTP. So, why did Mo Mentum Farm pay the entry fee to nominate him here, given that the race is more than halfway full, and he already has two others in here who seem more capable? Something must be going on at the farm, privately, in works. Maybe it’s the distance. We’ll find out why, very soon!
6- Charlie Jace (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- If you combine the earnings from the horses starting in posts 3-6, you get $99.450. Amazing that this in a $1,000.000 race, isn’t it? That doesn’t mean they don’t have potential, and with Charlie Jace, he’s here off of going wire to wire to break his maiden at SAR. The effort earned a 96 SRF, so the best may be yet to come. He was picked up by the trainer for $275.000 in the Arindel stable liquidation, so you know Mb things very highly of him.
7- Prickly (Mb Stables, ridden by Ru Silvera)- When Mb Stables entered Prickly, I am guessing that he didn’t think he was entering what would be the race’s highest earner. In seven starts, the Tactical colt has three wins and three places, making $221.010 for thus far. Last time out, he won the Plate Trial right here. This would normally be the type of horse that would seem to be the strongest threat to bigger headliner, but without that big name, he should be the favorite in here.
8- Parisian Arrow (Asgar, ridden by D E Centeno)- Broke his maiden in his second career start at DMR last November, but has not returned to the winner’s circle. The trainer gave him a chance in a couple of KYD preps, but that proved to be too much for him. He would be a lot better running seven furlongs in ungraded races, but he tired here late in the Plate Trail last month. This will only be longer, so Asgar will have to figure out how to get more distance out of him.
9- Center Broadway (Glorify Stables, ridden by L Salles)- This one is no stranger to this racetrack, running here in five of his nine starts, and it is where two of his three wins have occurred. The biggest victory was the $100.000 Frost King from last October but don’t worry about that being a while ago or a sprint. Last time out, he ran in the Plate Trail Stakes and came on strong to finish third. With a little more ground, he may have won. He gets that ground on Saturday.
Prediction: 2-9-7-6
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
