LOTS ON THE PLATE

UPDATE - Tuesday 2 p.m.

LEO POUNDS OUT 1 MILE WORK


Champion 2-year-old of last year had a giant workout today at Woodbine when he flew 1 mile in 1:37 4/5 under Jono Jones.

The chestnut 3yo son of Stormy Atlantic, who was a close 2nd in his comeback race and is headed to the June 24 Queen's Plate, went the first 3 furlongs in :37, according to trainer Kevin Attard, 6 furlongs in 1: 11 4/5 and 7 furlongs in 1:25 3/5.

There was cause for some concern for a spell when Attard, who watched the workout from the front side of the track (something he rarely does) saw Jones get off the horse after the work.
"When he pulled up got wobbly, Jono jumped off of him and didn't know what was wrong. My Dad (Tino) brought (Leo) backand he jogged back sound, cooled out perfectly, there wasnothing physically wrong with him."
"I don't know maybe it was heat stroke, heat exhaustion, he ate up well and bucking and playing while he was grazing."
Attard had x-rays and blood taken on the colt and saw no problems.
"Any horse that works that fast, is prone to get a little exhausted," said Attard.
The young trainer also has Alezzandro headed to the Plate - giving him 2 of possibly 9 or 10 Plate entrants.
"I think I aged about 10 years today," said Attard.




WHO AM I??

This Queen's Plate winner is having fun in retirement (who wouldn't?) and is dappled, healthy and full of energy. He even gets ridden now and then!

QUEEN'S PLATE BATTLE ROYAL FINALISTS DETERMINED


Vote for one of these final Plate winners..

1989 - WITH APPROVAL
1991 - DANCE SMARTLY
1997 - AWESOME AGAIN
2003 - WANDO
2004 - NIIGON

Results for the previous round were as follows:

1989 (WITH APPROVAL) - 73%
VS
1993 (PETESKI) - 27%
*---------
1990 (IZVESTIA) - 23%
VS.
1991 (DANCE SMARTLY) - 77%
*---------
1988 (REGAL INTENTION) - 30%
VS.
1997 (AWESOME AGAIN) - 70%
*----------
1987 (MARKET CONTROL) - 47%
VS.
2004 (NIIGON) - 53%
*----------
2002 (TJ'S LUCKY MOON) - 46%
VS.
2003 (WANDO) - 54%
*-------

There are no more "matchups" - people just vote for one of the
remaining 5 and whoever gets the most votes will be crowned the top Plate of
the last 20 years.  We'll reveal the winner on Race Night on The Score
Wednesday, June 20th.

TUESDAY MORNING

SEALY HILL was the pick of most voters in last week's THOROUGHBLOG POLL - good handicapping!

This week's question involves a topic brought up several times on this site - coupled entries.
One reader who invests a lot of time and money into the game (many of us do) is against uncoupled entries in stakes races. Others seem to like it.

JAMBALAYA and SKY CONQUEROR, Grade 1 winners this year, remain on top on the HOT CANADIAN-BRED LIST but SEALY HILL moved up.

CANADIAN BRED CHAMP RUNAWAY GROOM DEAD

He perhaps should have been one of Canadafs Triple Crown winners but certainly RUNAWAY GROOM scored one of the most important victories ? and biggest upsets ? in modern history when he won the Travers Stakes in 1982.

The grey Gardiner Farms-bred was euthanized on June 8 due to the infirmities of old age. He was living at Vinery in Kentucky.

Runaway Groom raced for Albert Coppola, an American, and the colt made his first strat in Canada in the Queenfs Plate. The son of Blushing Groom had never raced past 7 furlongs and was sent off at 38 to 1 in the Plate but made a fast rally in the stretch to be 2nd while SON OF BRIARTIC stole the race on the front end.

The Groom went on to win the Prince of Wales on the Fort Erie grass and the Breedersf Stakes on Woodbine's turf.

His next start was the Travers in which he was a longshot against Kentucky Derby winner Gato del Sol, Preakness winner Alomafs Ruler and Conquistador Cielo, the Belmont winner who was the heavy Travers favourite. None could match the strong stretch rally of the Groom, however, as the grey streaked to victory.

Runaway Groom is in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. He has sired 72 stakes winners such as Cherokee Run, Wekiva Springs and Down the Aisle.

CONFIDENCE IS A POWERFUL THING

TRUE REALITY, owned and trained by Stephen Wells, won her second consecutive race yesterday at FORT ERIE (her first for Wells) when stretching out to a 2-turn distance for the first time.

Oh yes, the filly won by 15 3/4 lengths in 1:42 2/5 for 1 mile and 70 yards (no Beyer Figure available yet this morning). The Mike Wright-bred filly is by WAR DEPUTY.

The FORT ERIE scoreboard through yesterday shows ROBERT KING JR. tied for top jockey with 15 wins with KRIS ROBINSON, who won a pair yesterday. Trainers MARK FOURNIER, DON MACRAE and SCOTT FAIRLIE all have 7 wins ? although Fairlie has 7 wins from just 9 starters!

WOODBINE SCOREBOARD

While apprentice TYLER PIZARRO is still leading with 30 wins, PATRICK HUSBANDS won 9 races last week and is suddenly in 2nd with 28. EURICO ROSA DA SILVA has 25.

ROBERT TILLER leads trainers with 20 wins over SID ATTARD, 18, and ABRAHAM KATRYAN, 15.

QUEEN’s PLATE WEEK STARTS TOMORROW

The launch of a 12-day carnival of racing and events begins tomorrow with the annual QUEEN'S PLATE media golf tournament. (Although the draw for post positions for the NORTH AMERICA CUP, the biggest harness race in Canada, is today, the race is on Saturday night at Mohawk raceway). The Plate is on June 24.

On SATURDAY MORNING - JUNE 23, WOODBINE HAS A FREE MORNING WORKOUTS breakfast at the trackside tent. Plate personalities will be interviewed. MARK CASSE is confirmed as a guest.

A rough idea of the field looks like this:

JIGGS COZ (Plate Trial winner by Cozzene)

MARCHFIELD (2nd Plate trial, A.P. Indy, owned by E. Melnyk, trained by Mark Casse)

TWILIGHT METEOR (stakes winner in U.S.)

MIKE FOX (Giantfs Causeway allowance winner)

COBRADOR (American-based colt, tangled with tough ones in 2007)

LEONNATUS ANTEAS (Champion 2yo, just missed in belated comeback race)

ALEZZANDRO (fast improving giant colt by High Yield, ,3rd Plate Trial)

DAAHER (allowance winner in New York, would have to be sup. For $25K)

INCLUDE US (maiden has fared okay in stakes)

SEASIDE LINKS (Mark Casse trainee)

DANCER'S BAJAN (Stakes winner at 2, placed in f07)

Not looking like any fillies will jump in from the Oaks on Sundayc

On yesterday’s worktab - MIKE FOX - 1:00 2/5 at Woodbine, TWILIGHT METEOR 49 3/5 AT Belmont (See yesterday’s notes)

RACING DISPATCH

THOROUGHBLOG is pleased to be associated with RACING DISPATCH (www.racingdispatch.com) during Plate week (beginning this weekend). Read about the QUEEN'S PLATE, its history and current news on the daily news site. The Plate blog begins this weekend.

OTHER STUFF

A mutuel clerk for Woodbine won the $37 million LOTTO 649 jackpot last week, the most one by a single person in Canadian lottery history. Graham Gelineau does not drink, drive and he's single...Champion 2yo MACHO UNO, who won the Grey stakes at Woodbine for Frank Stronach, sired his first winner last Friday when Swifty Victress won at Evangeline Downs.