August 22, 2024
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
A Royal Return
A Twisters-esque scene in the Greater Toronto Area last Sunday cut short the most celebrated day on the Canadian Thoroughbred racing calendar.
Now that the torrential downpours have subsided (knock on wood), the 165th running of the $1 million King’s Plate will instead run this Friday at Woodbine with all 13 competitors still locked in.
Among the hopefuls eyeing the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown are multiple stakes winner My Boy Prince (7-5), Marine Stakes (G3) winner Essex Serpent (2-1), Plate Trial Stakes runner-up Rafaroo (8-1), and burgeoning colt Midnight Mascot (12-1).
So, dry off those fascinators and fedoras and saddle up for a riveting 1 ¼-mile trip around the all-weather track.
All-Star Status
A who’s who of the 3-year-old division is set to traverse the Saratoga dirt course in this Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers (G1).
Headlined by American Triple Crown regulars Sierra Leone (7-2), Fierceness (3-1), Thorpedo Anna (3-1), and Kentucky Derby champion Dornoch (5-2 opening line favorite), the 1 ¼-mile affair exudes all-star weekend energy with the added bonus that each competitor is actively trying to win.
Of the fearsome foursome, one name to pay close attention to is Thorpedo Anna.
The only filly in the field is still perfect in 2024, capturing four straight graded titles, including three of the Grade 1 variety (Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, American Oaks).
Eye on the Prize
Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) winner Gun Pilot will take aim at his second Grade 1 crown this Saturday in the $500,000 Forego (G1) at Saratoga.
The 2024 campaign has been a strong one for the 4-year-old colt, who’s collected a 3-1-1 record through five starts.
Fresh off a third in the 6 ½-furlong True North (G2) on Jun. 8, Gun Pilot will have a little more runway to work with in the 7-furlong Forego.
Any extra space will be welcomed for the Steve Asmussen trainee, as he will once again contend with familiar foe Baby Yoda (8-1), who won the True North by a dominant six-length margin at 9-1.
Gun Pilot enters as the board’s second choice at 3-1.
Friday Night Lights
While Saratoga is the darling of the weekend with five Grade 1 tilts scheduled for Saturday (H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, Ballerina, and Sword Dancer also on tap), there’s another seven-figure stakes running the night before.
Taking place under the lights (post time of 10:20 p.m. EST), the $1 million Charles Town Classic (G2) for 3-year-old’s and up features a well-rounded 10-horse field.
None, however, are as accomplished as 5-year-old Skippylongstocking.
The multiple graded stakes winner has found success at nearly every stop on the North American circuit, accumulating nearly $2.5 million in purse earnings across 25 lifetime starts.
If successful on Saturday, the Charles Town Classic will become Skippylongstocking’s sixth graded conquest and first at the Grade 1 level.
Wild West
Canada’s big weekend in Thoroughbred racing continues 3,300 kilometers west of Woodbine with the $200,000 Canadian Derby (G3) at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in Edmonton.
The 11-horse Saturday evening feature boasts a duo of top title contenders, led by the aptly named opening line favorite August Rain (5-2).
Bred in British Columbia, the Barbara Heads trainee has dominated his hometown circuit, compiling a 5-1-2 line with three stakes wins through nine starts.
The 3-year-old gelding’s greatest threat should come from well-travelled 7-2 challenger Classy City, who scored in his debut at Century Mile on Jul. 19.
While the latter has yet to break through at the stakes level, he came a half-length short in last December’s Gold Rush at Golden Gate in Berkeley, California.