Telekinesis deserving Queen's Plate favorite, but no lock to win

Stonestreet Stables’ Telekinesis is expected to go as the favorite in the 159th Queen’s Plate on Saturday at Woodbine. The 3-year-old Ghostzapper colt is trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Patrick Husbands. He recently won the local Plate Trial.

Is he a standout coming into the race? 

First of all, his form before the Plate Trial Stakes win looks good. Telekinesis broke his maiden at first asking at Fair Grounds by more than three lengths, and then finished third in an optional claimer against older horses. One of them was the familiar Silver Dust.

Afterward, Telekinesis ran the best race of his career finishing runner-up in the Lexington Stakes (G3). The winner, My Boy Jack, came from behind and the third-place finisher Pony Up did the same. Telekinesis pressed a fast pace in second and kept fighting toward the end.

Considering My Boy Jack went on to run a credible fifth in the Kentucky Derby, Telekinesis had a chance to run well at Churchill Downs if he entered.

Without enough points, however, Telekinesis had no chance of making the field. The connections then went on to Woodbine, and he won the June 9 Plate Trial.

To nitpick the race a little bit, Telekinesis set what appears to be a slow pace. He took them in 25.06 and 49.66, which most people would consider a stroll in the park.

Then again, synthetic surfaces can be strange, so a 49-second half might not be so lethargic. Plus, Rose’s Vision kept Telekinesis company through the initial stages.

Rose’s Vision actually gave an early challenge before the far turn, and Telekinesis did well to hold that foe at bay and repel him coming down the stretch. For what it's worth, Rose’s Vision previously finished a disappointing sixth in the local Marine Stakes (G3), but he also won an allowance at Keeneland and broke his maiden at Gulfstream.

Aheadbyacentury, who will also start in the Queen’s Plate, finished a well-beaten third by more than six lengths in the Plate Trial.

Telekinesis finished the race in 1:50.40, while fellow Queen’s Plate competitor Dixie Moon ran the same distance in 1:50.37 on the same card, when she just held off Wonder Gadot in the Woodbine Oaks. Wonder Gadot will also start in the Queen’s Plate, so one has to take her seriously, too.  

Still, Telekinesis is a deserving favorite based on the Lexington Stakes alone, as he faced a top horse who ended up running well against a tough group of 3-year-old horses in a Derby prep.

Plus, his sire Ghostzapper is a huge plus for synthetic racing. According to a Tweet by Brisnet.com, Ghostzapper progeny are 4-for-12 in 1 ¼-mile North American synthetic races. Furthermore, they also won 26 out of 105 starts on the new Tapeta synthetic surface installed three years ago at Woodbine. This sire is a synthetic-lover machine.

Of course, it is easy to get too caught up in pedigree handicapping when it matters less and less as the horses gain more experience. In this case, Telekinesis’ form was already revealed on synthetic, and he did not run faster than Dixie Moon.  

In addition, bigger fields always bring up the possibility of more speed in the race, and Telekinesis likes to race up front. We'll find out more about the race's pace following Wednesday's post position draw.

In any case, Telekinesis is an interesting horse to follow. If he wins on Saturday, maybe he is the kind of horse that can give the Canadian Triple Crown an attempt given his ability to win on dirt and synthetic (all three legs are on different surfaces).

But Telekinesis does not seem like a lock to win, either. Judging from his last Woodbine race, he looks similar in ability to Dixie Moon and Wonder Gadot, and there are certain to be a few other legitimate contenders lined up.