Academic, Danish Dynaformer win Woodbine Oaks & Plate Trial

Bear Stables’ Academic, with Justin Stein, pulled off a shocker in the featured $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, wiring her nine rivals and winning comfortably by one and three-quarter lengths in the mile and one-eighth classic for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies , Sunday at Woodbine.

Sent postward a 66-1 outsider, the longest shot on the board, Academic, who had just recently broke her maiden in her season debut on May 15, after going winless in three starts as a two-year-old, was supplemented to the Oaks at a cost of $12,500, meaning her connections got a quick return of $300,000, the purse to the winner.

Not only that, the daughter of Henny Hughes-Awesome Lass set a track record in the process.  Her final time of 1:48.86 eclipsed the mark of 1:48.97 set by River Rush in the 2012 Plate Trial.  And, it was almost a full second faster than the Plate Trial winner Danish Dynaformer, the race before the Oaks, when he was clocked in 1:49.81.

Favoured London Tower, after a tardy beginning, closed for second, out nodding Season Ticket, with Shez a Masterpiece a length and a half back in fourth.

For trainer Reade Baker, it was his second Oaks win.  However, when he won the prestigious race the first time in 2005, it was with an even money favourite, Gold Strike.

Jockey Alan Garcia, aboard the 4-5 choice London Tower, explained the slow departure from the gate.

Academic lit up the toteboard, paying $135.30, $30.40 and $10.80, combining with London Tower ($3.20, $2.40) for a $431.10 (9-6) exactor.  A 9-6-3 (Season Ticket, $3.60) triactor was worth $2,175.30 while a $1 Superfecta [9-6-3-10 (Shez a Masterpiece)] came back $10,431.80.

Trainer Roger Attfield could be on the verge of winning a record-breaking ninth Queen’s Plate after Charles Fipke’s homebred Danish Dynaformer proved a deserving winner of the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes, Sunday at Woodbine.

On a rainy, misty afternoon at Toronto, Danish Dynaformer and jockey Luis Contreras swung three wide turning for home and pulled clear inside the eighth pole.  From there, the three-year-old son of Dynaformer-Danish Wildcat held several closers at bay, including the second choice, Conquest Curlinate, to win by three-quarters of a length, getting the mile and one-eighth over the Polytrack in 1:49.81.

Conquest Boogaloo closed well to finish third with Portree fourth.  Both Conquest Curlinate and Conquest Boogaloo are owned by Conquest Stables and trained by Mark Casse, who won his first Queen’s Plate last year with Lexie Lou.

Race favourite Danzig Moon suffered an injury to his right-hind leg going into the far turn. Jockey Julien Leparoux pulled up the son of Malibu Moon immediately, but was also run into by trailer R U Watchingbud, who fell as well, tossing his rider, Emma-Jayne Wilson. Danzig Moon was humanely euthanized.  Leparoux, Wilson and R U Watchingbud were unhurt.

The John Oxley-owned Danzig Moon finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, then sixth in the Preakness to eventual Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. 

“The injury consisted of a compound fracture and the horse was humanely euthanized.  The horse will go for a post mortem at Guelph (Equine Guelph Hospital) this afternoon," said Dr. Greg Taylor, Commission Veterinarian for the Ontario Racing Commission.

Midnight Trace and jockey John Velazquez set the early fractions of :24 and :48.68, while being pursued by Danzig Moon. As the field closed in on the leaders heading to the far turn, Portree rushed up to briefly take over when Midnight Trace faded and Danzig Moon was pulled up.  In the scramble turning for home, Portree, who was still in front at the eighth pole, after the mile was reached in 1:37.44, was immediately challenged by Field of Courage, as Danish Dynaformer began to roll on the outside.

“He (Danzig Moon) was right behind me when that happened, but I was on the outside.  I felt sorry for that horse,” said Contreras, who won the 2011 Queen’s Plate aboard filly Inglorious. 

“There was a lot going on but you can do anything with this horse.   He’s very relaxed and calm.  Everytime you ask him, he goes.  It feels really good (about his chances in the Queen’s Plate). He's so nice. You can do anything you want with him in a race. That's a racehorse."” 

It was the ninth Plate Trial win for Attfield, his latest being with Fipke’s pair of Check Your Soul in 2011 and Not Bourbon, the eventual Queen’s Plate winner, in 2008.

Danish Dynaformer came into the Trial off a troubled third to Shaman Ghost in the Marine Stakes, May 16.  After racing only once at two, the colt broke his maiden on the grass at Gulfstream Park in February, then won another turf race at Keeneland in April, prior to returning to Woodbine.

Attfield is currently tied with Harry Giddings Jr. both with eight wins apiece in the Queen’s Plate, Canada’s most famous horse race worth $1 million, which is scheduled for Sunday, July 5, at one mile and one-quarter for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds.

Danish Dynaformer paid $9.90, $4.90 and $3.40, combining with Conquest Curlinate ($4.40, $3.10) for a $42.40 (7-10) exactor.  A 7-10-3 (Conquest Boogaloo, $6.70) triactor was worth $613.60 while a $1 Superfecta [7-10-3-8 (Portree)] returned a whopping $4,836.85.

Battleofburlington, another Casse-Oxley runner, was a morning scratch, reducing the Plate Trial field to 12.