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 Sofia Vives celebrates aboard Kin's Concerto after winning her first Woodbine Oaks.
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Saturday at Woodbine, the two major local preps for the King's Plate Stakes, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, were contested over the Tapeta main track. The four stakes races were contested under partly cloudy skies with a daytime high temperature of 27.4 C (81.3 F). The highlight race of the afternoon was the 69th running of the $500,000 Stella Artois Woodbine Oaks, featuring top Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles, kicking off the Triple Tiara series. A full field of 14 faced the starter, with Caitlinhergrtness sent off as the 3-1 favorite off an allowance win on the inner turf on July 6 after finshing 4th in an allowance at Guflstream. In to challenge her included 9-2 second choice Kin's Concerto, still a maiden making her stakes debut after 4 starts but a close second last out, and 15-2 third choice A Little Frisky, 5th in an allowance after finishing a distant third in the Ruling Angel Stakes.
 Down the stretch with Kin's Concerto rallying down the center. |
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 4 Kin's Concerto Vives 11.50 5.60 4.00 10 Caitlinhergrtness Hernandez 5.20 4.30 5 Hurricane Clair Civaci 5.90 Winning Time: 1:51.18 $1 Exacta 4-10 26.55 $0.20 Trifecta 4-10-5 41.19 $0.20 Superfecta 4-10-5-12 341.02 |
Left: Kin's Concerto in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Josie Carroll said, "She's always shown some talent, she's just had some unfortunate luck. Different things that have gone wrong and problems in races. A horse that closes and hooks big fields and has to get through – it's always a challenge."
Right: Trainer Josie Carroll and owner-breeders Mark and Bob Krembil (Chiefswood Stable) post with the trophy. Robert Landry, retired jockey (winner of 3 Oaks) and general manager for Chiefswood said, "She just shows you the signs and Josie's team has done a tremendous job with her as well. Sofia rode her great. It was well deserved. I'm happy for the owners, they put a lot into this game and especially when you're in the breeding operation, these types of races are really big."
Left: Kin's Concerto gets hosed off after the race. Carroll added, "This young lady (Vives) has improved leaps and bounds this year. She suits this filly very, very much, she listens to instructions, which is what I really like about her. She does exactly what she's asked to do. She was told to sit quiet on this filly. Not get in her head and treat it like another race. You know, put the filly in the position that she needed to be in and then have confidence in her and she did just that."
Right: The trophy presentation for the Woodbine Oaks with trainer Josie Carroll on the far right.
Left: Kin's Concerto in the post parade. Winning jockey Sofia Vives (an apprentice riding without allowance) celebrating her first Woodbine Oaks victory said, "We just wanted to break in early position. We wound up right on the rail. Perfect trip in the turn, I got to get into a two-path, followed the horse that I thought was going to be a tough one, it opened up all the holes, and we shot right through. She's a very, very talented filly, and she's always shined bright in my eyes. It's pretty exciting for this to happen in your lifetime, but to happen as a bug, I think it's pretty special."
Right: Kin's Concerto parades with her flower blanket. Landry, asked about the Plate, added, "The owners and I will speak and then I'll speak to Josie. We're just going to let her cool out and see where it goes from here. We personally haven't had a lot of luck running fillies in the Plate, but a lot of people have. Obviously, you've got to think long and hard about it. We're going to do what's right by the filly." Landry won the 2004 Plate aboard Chiefswood homebred Niigon.
Left: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Caitlinhergrtness returns after the race. The Kevin Attard trainee improved her record to 2 wins, 1 second, and 1 third in 6 starts, earning $187,010 for owners Siena Farm and WinStar Farm.
Right: Third place finisher Hurricane Clair in the post parade. The Martin Drexler trainee improved her record to 2 wins, 2 seconds, and 2 thirds in 8 starts, earning $183,589 for owners David Rowbotham, Rodney Carpenter, and Tony Boogmans.
The fillies break from the gate for the Woodbine Oaks.
Kicking off the stakes quartet, a field of 7 Canadian-foaled three-year-old males also went 1 1/8 miles in the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes, the major local prep for the King's Plate to be run in 4 weeks time. My Boy Prince was sent off as the 1-4 favorite off wins in the King Corrie and Queenston Stakes after ending 2023 with a third place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). In to challenge him included 13-2 second choice Piper's Factor, 5th in the Marine (G3), and 11-1 third choice No More Options, 3rd in the Queenston.
Jockey Justin Stein sent 15-1 Friendly Ghost to the lead through fractions of 25.11, 49.51 and 1:13.23 while pressed by Piper's Factor and stalked by My Boy Prince. Into the stretch, Friendly Ghost continued to lead through 1 mile in 1:38.33 but My Boy Prince under Sahin Civaci came out 4 wide and rallied to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths over late-running 26-1 Rafaroo in 1:51.12. It was another length back to Friendly Ghost third.
Results Chart
Left: My Boy Prince in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Sahin Civaci said,"He broke a little bad, but he pulled through. It's a little worrisome, if they get away from you. The pace was going a little easy. I got up into a nice spot. He has tactical speed. I didn't mind him sitting off the pace, just because there's going to be a lot of horses in the King's Plate and anything could happen. Sometimes, he can't be on the lead, so I wanted to see if he could relax a little bit, and he did relax."
Right: My Boy Prince gets hosed off after the race.
Left: Second place finisher Rafaroo in the walking ring before the race. The Harold Ladouceur trainee improved his record to 2 seconds in 2 starts, earning $38,210 for owner-breeder Stronach Stables.
Right: Third place finisher Friendly Ghost returns after the race. The Evette Chartrand-Hoek trainee improved his record to 1 win, 1 second, and 1 third in 3 starts, earning $63,009 for owner Sue Leslie.
The horses shortly after the start of the Plate Trial.
The $150,000 Don Julio Trillium Stakes (G3) featured a field of 7 older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta. Belle Mahone (G3) runner-up Solo Album was sent off as the 9-4 favorite over 7-2 second choice Batucada, winner of the Powder Break Stakes at Gulfstream, and 4-1 third choice Forever Dixie, fifth in the Nassau (G2).
Jockey Sahin Civaci sent Solo Album to lead through fractions of 24.65, 49.20, and 1:13.37 while pressed by 6-1 Ocean Club and stalked by Batucada. Turning for home Solo Album continued to lead through 1 mile in 1:37.61 and held off late-running Forever Dixie to win by a head in 1:43.90. It was another neck back to 9-2 fourth choice Fashionably Fab third.
Results Chart
Left: Solo Album in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Sahin Civaci said, "I know she could come off the pace and looking at it, no one was really going, and the pace was quite easy, and the rail was open, so I went. I felt them coming so I was riding hard, and she held on."
Right: Solo Album gets hosed off after the race.
Left: Second place finisher Forever Dixie returns after the race. The Mark Casse trainee improved her record to 4 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds in 15 starts, earning $236,029 for owner-breeder John Oxley.
Right: Third place finisher Fashionably Fab in the post parade. The Kevin Attard trainee improved her record to 8 wins, 0 seconds, and 3 thirds in 13 starts, earning $405,090 for owner-breeder Terra Racing Stable.
The $175,000 bet365 Connaught Cup (G2) featured a field of 8 older horses sprinting 7 furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf course in an early prep for the Rogers Woodbine Mile. Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) winner Flag of Honour was sent off as the 5-2 favorite over 3-1 second choice Capture the Lion off an allowance win, and 4-1 third choice Cruden Bay, also off an allowance win.
Jockey Patrick Husbands sent 12-1 First Empire to the lead through fractions of 23.61 and 45.97 over the "good" going while pressed by Capture the Lion and stalked by 9-1 War Bomber and 9-2 fourth choice Saratoga Flash. Into the stretch War Bomber inherited the lead through 3/4 in 1:09.03 but Cruden Bay, last early under Sofia Vives, came out 4 wide to get up by a neck in 1:21.27. It was a long 3 3/4 lengths back to 15-2 Ironstone third, while favorite Flag of Honour failed to rally and finished 7th beaten 12 3/4 lengths.
Results Chart
Left: Cruden Bay in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Sofia Vives said, "Down the lane, you just got to give him one clear run and not get him stopped up. Today, I got the rail trip. It was a perfect trip. It played out great. There were three horses in front of us and two next to us, and they split just perfectly. They parted perfectly. He's one that you have to tell him what to do, and he listens, and he did just that today."
Right: Cruden Bay heads gets hosed off after the race. Winning trainer Don MacRae said, "I was I was jumping up and down. I mean, the thing about him is he needs the whole stretch to get there. If you look for him, he knows how to win by a nose, and he tries all the way. And when she punched out, I knew he was coming. I would just like to say I am really happy for (owner) Michael Lay and my team. He's had this horse since he was a baby, and he deserves this."
Left: Second place finisher War Bomber returns after the race. The Norm McKnight trainee improved his record to 7 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds in 24 starts, earning $470,357 for owner Bruno Schickedanz.
Right: Third place finisher Ironstone in the post parade. The Willie Armata trainee improved his record to 4 wins, 5 seconds, and 7 thirds in 22 starts, earning $567,385 for owners Tequesta Racing Inc. and Jupiter Leasing Co.
Seventh place finisher and beaten favorite Flag Of Honour crosses the finish line. The Julia Carey trainee has a record of 5 wins, 1 second, and 1 third in 11 starts, earning $326,921 for owners R.M. Wanless and Mrs. J.M. Wanless.
On Thursday July 11 in the 4th race at Woodbine, jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson won aboard first time starter Perfect Lady Bee in a $111,800 maiden race for 3-year-old fillies. The win pushed her ahead of recordholder and Hall of Fame member Julie Krone for all-time purse earnings by a female jockey. After the race Wilson said, “To capitalize and break this record with a win for these connections, you couldn’t have written a storybook any better. I’m trying really hard not to show too much emotion. I’m so used to putting my emotions in the backseat to ride races and be completely focused one race to the next, but this one means so much to me. Julie has been a true supporter of mine right from the get-go. Even when she got wind of the potential of me breaking the record this year, she’s been messaging me relentlessly to show her support and it’s an absolute honour to share this record with her. This is to show how well the industry has come since she started to show what equality and sportsmanship is and what it means.”
On Oaks day, Woodbine held a special ceremony between stakes races to acknowledge the achievement with the entire jockey colony and more fans in attendance. Wilson is so far the only female rider to win the King's (or Queen's) Plate, aboard Mike Fox in 2007, and has ridden in Hong Kong and at Ascot Racecourse, where she won the Shergar Cup for the "Girls' Team" in 2015. In 2018 she received the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award for lifetime achievement by a Canadian jockey, joining Francine Villeneuve as one of two females so honoured.
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