Woodbine Oaks and Plate Trial lure American talent

While the American Triple Crown winds down, the Canadian Triple Crown is about to heat up. The big one, the 158th running of The Queen's Plate, Canada's most prestigious horse race, is still a few weeks away, but many of Canada's top three-year-olds will be on display Sunday at Woodbine. Many of whom will be looking to make a big statement heading into the July 2 Canadian classic. An important race in its own right, the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, will anchor a three-stakes card, which also includes the Plate Trial.

Canadian-based horses may have a big battle in store from their American counterparts in both races. In fact, in the Oaks, the three fillies to beat might all be coming in from the U.S.

Run at nine furlongs on Woodbine's Tapeta racing surface, the Oaks has attracted the American trained trio of Holy Helena, Stallion Heiress, and Inflexibility from the respective barns of Jimmy Jerkens, Michael Stidham, and Chad Brown.

Of the three, Stallion Heiress is the most experienced. The speedy daughter of Exchange Rate has only run on grass so far in four career starts. She began her career by easily dispatching her competition in three straight races at Fair Grounds, including two listed stakes races. Her unbeaten streak came to an end when she faded out of sight after leading the Grade 3 Edgewood early on Kentucky Derby weekend. Florent Geroux picks up the mount in the Oaks, and the pair will break from the rail. On Sunday, she will be the one they all have to catch.

The other two American shippers both lack experience, but each shows plenty of potential. Holy Helena just made her debut less than two months ago, where she broke a step slow and rallied for second in a maiden at Aqueduct. The dark bay daughter of Ghostzapper took no extra time in breaking her maiden, when she came back on May 12 to forge to a victory in an 8 1/2-furlong maiden race at Belmont Park. The promising half-sister to Holy Boss will be ridden by Luis Contreras.

     Play the Woodbine Oaks and Plate Trial Sunday at Woodbine!

While Holy Helena ran her first two on dirt, Flexibility has run both of her two career races on the turf. The Chad Brown trainee was bothered at the start in her career debut, back in January at Gulfstream Park, but came flying to get second. Four months later, on May 4, the daughter of Scat Daddy scored a popular and facile win in a maiden race at Belmont Park. From the same ownership-trainer team as Preakness winner, Cloud Computing, Flexibility might just be the one to beat under rider, Joel Rosario.

The eleven horse Woodbine Oaks field will be rounded out by eight Canadian-based fillies, led by the Mark Casse trained Enstone. The daughter of Tiznow has finished first or second in her last four starts including a sharp win in the Fury Stakes, before finishing second in the Grade 2 Selene Stakes. Three-time Oaks winning rider, Patrick Husbands will be in the saddle, and the pair figures to be following the speed of Stallion Heiress closely in the early stages. 

Not to be outdone by the girls, the ultimate winner of the Queen's Plate could well come from the Plate Trial. State of Honor (pictured above inside McCraken) will look to build upon his good form on the dirt, by returning the the Tapeta which he competed on last year. The speedy son of To Honor and Serve broke his maiden last fall at Woodbine, but his best races came this year on dirt in Florida.

Trained by Mark Casse, his best results came when finishing second in both the Tampa Bay Derby and Florida Derby, but overall he was competitive in four consecutive stakes races against the likes of Always Dreaming, McCraken, and Tapwrit, before tiring badly after setting the early pace in the Kentucky Derby. Among his competition in the nine-furlong test on Sunday, include a pair of stakes winners at Woodbine.

Both King and His Court, also trained by Casse, and Tiz a Slam boast excellent form over the synthetic track at Woodbine. The former has won three straight over the track, all of which were stakes races and around two-turns. He had no success in two stakes attempts in the U.S., but is clearly right at home at Woodbine.

The horse he beat last time is the highly regarded, Tiz a Slam. The good looking son of Tiznow is trained by Roger Attfield, who has won this race seven different times. Four of Attfield's Plate Trial winners went on to also score in the Queen's Plate. An impressive winner of the Cup and Saucer last fall, Tiz a Slam should appreciate the added distance of Sunday's race.

As always, Woodbine will offer plenty of great wagering oppertunities on Sunday. They will guarantee the Early & Late Pick 4 pools at $100,000 on Plate Trial/Oaks day, as well as offering special 20-cent bet minimums on all Trifecta, Superfecta, Pick 3 & Pick 4 pools. Woodbine also offers the Thoroughbred Pick 5, which is now guaranteed at $50,000.