Caitlinhergrtness turns aside 11 male rivals in King’s Plate
Caitlinhergrtness, the lone filly in the 165th running of the King’s Plate, collared post-time favorite My Boy Prince late to win a thrilling renewal of the US$739,563 classic for Canada-bred 3-year-olds Friday afternoon at Woodbine.
Last time out, Caitlinhergrtness, named after basketball star Caitlin Clark, settled for second place, a neck behind the winner in the US$369,781 Woodbine Oaks.
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On this day the Kevin Attard trainee went one better to earn her first stakes triumph in style, courtesy of an outstanding performance in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
Originally scheduled six days earlier, torrential rain forced the postponement of the Plate until Friday. A compelling finish under perfect conditions made it well worth the wait.
Essex Serpent and stablemate My Boy Prince, the 3-5 choice, were one-two past the wire the first time as Rafael Hernández, aboard Caitlinhergrtness, settled the filly into fifth.
On top by a length through an opening quarter-mile in 23.74 seconds, Essex Serpent was shadowed closely by multiple stakes winner My Boy Prince followed by No More Options and Rafaroo.
Essex Serpent maintained a length advantage over My Boy Prince through a half-mile in 47.23 seconds as Caitlinhergrtness tracked to the outside in fourth.
Heading into the turn for home, Sahin Civaci gave My Boy Prince his cue, and the duo accelerated away from the pack. Caitlinhergrtness picked up the pursuit, setting the stage for a dramatic duel to the wire.
A half-length behind My Boy Prince at the stretch call, Caitlinhergrtness kept coming and was able to get by to notch a three-quarter-length win. Midnight Mascot rallied from well back to finish third. Pierre, also trained by Attard, was fourth, and Jokestar, another Attard pupil, was fifth. Bedard, also conditioned by Attard, was scratched.
The final time for the 1 1/4 miles on the synthetic track was 2:03.45.
Hernández, who teamed with Attard to win the 2022 Plate with star filly Moira, was elated to win his third running of the race. He also won with Shaman Ghost in 2015.
“She was hot, but she was getting on the bridle a little bit,” Hernández said. “She gave me everything. I was covering all the time, all the time, and when I pulled the trigger, she just gave me everything.”
As for the moment he knew he had it won, Hernandez said, “When I crossed the wire.”
Attard, who trains the daughter of Omaha Beach for owners Siena Farm and Winstar Farm, heaped praise on the chestnut who was supplemented into the Plate.
“She’s obviously all class and all racehorse,” he said. “She’s handled everything really well. She’s withstanding everything we’ve thrown at her. I was happy with where (Hernández) positioned her the whole way around there, and at the quarter pole I thought we had a shot.
“She gave it all she had. My Boy Prince, kudos to him. He put in a gallant effort today. You know he was a little suspect by a lot of people going this far, but he just proved what kind of class horse he is. I think our filly’s pretty special, and it took everything she had to run him down, and she’s the champ.”
Bred by Jesse Korona, Caitlinhergrtness launched her career in the U.S., where she made four starts. After a third at Saratoga in her debut, she broke her maiden next time out on the dirt at Belmont at the Big A. She closed out her 2-year-old campaign with a fourth in the Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct and opened her 3-year-old season with a fourth at Gulfstream Park before bringing her talents north to Woodbine.
She returned $20.70 for the win.
The US$295,825 Prince of Wales Stakes, a 1 3/16-mile race over Fort Erie’s dirt oval Sept. 10, is the next race in the tri-surface Canadian Triple Crown series, which concludes with the US$295,825 Breeders’ Stakes at 1 1/2 miles over Woodbine’s turf course Sept. 29.
Wando in 2003 was the last horse to sweep the series.