Woodbine: King's Plate prep Marine draws field of 7

King’s Plate hopeful Watsonville Red steps into the stakes arena in Saturday’s Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine. 

The Marine, a 1 1/16-mile main track event for 3-year-olds, has drawn seven starters as the road to The King’s Plate on Aug. 16 shifts into high gear. With the 166th edition of Canada’s iconic horse race less than two months away, hopefuls will look to stamp themselves as contenders for the classic. 

Watsonville Red, trained by Mike De Paulo for John and Diana Russell, heads into his first stakes test off an impressive maiden-breaking effort on May 16.

In rein to Leo Salles, the son of Hard Spun out of the Awesome Again mare Ice Festival surged by late to notch a half-length score at 28-1 in the 1 1/16-mile main track maiden special weight race.

“Very happy with the effort,” De Paulo said. “He just kept coming and coming. He finished strong and galloped out well. Leo was thrilled with how he ran. He thinks he’s progressing nicely. He has had plenty of time between races and he’s coming into the Marine in great shape.” 

Watsonville Red debuted last August in a one-mile race on the Woodbine inner turf and crossed the wire fifth, 5 3/4 lengths behind the winner. 

The bay gelding, bred in Ontario by Adena Springs, then finished eighth, fifth, and sixth, all on the Toronto main track, in his other three 2-year-old starts before heading to Gulfstream for the winter. 

“We gelded him over the winter because he just didn’t seem to have that focus you need,” De Paulo said. “There is always that old cliché of horses putting on weight and growing mentally, from year to year, which he has.” 

In his first start of 2025, a one-mile affair on the Gulfstream turf, Watsonville Red finished seventh at 55-1.

“We were trying to race him on the Polytrack in Florida, but the race didn’t go, so we went on the grass instead. But I don’t think the inner turf is what brings out the best in him.”

Watsonville Red posted a series of works ahead of the Marine, including five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on the main track on June 14 and a four-furlong breeze in 50.0 seconds over the same ground on June 21. 

“He’s generally not a big work horse,” De Paulo said. “A couple of works ago (June 14), he worked in company, and he worked fast. The most recent breeze, he was working by himself, and we didn’t want him to go as fast. He’s a laid-back dude.” 

The goal is for Watsonville Red to contest The King’s Plate.

“That’s the objective, to get there. I think he is one of those horses that keeps coming. With Stanley House (third in the 2023 Plate), we were hoping to win. With this horse, we are just looking to have a chance. We’re excited. I think his strength is that he’s a stayer. If you have a Canadian-bred, who is fit, happy and can run long, you’ve got a chance.”

Watsonville Red was purchased for $65,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale. 

Other starters include multiple stakes winner Scorching, who will make his 3-year-old debut, multiple stakes winner Mansetti, and Church and State, winner of this year’s King Corrie Stakes.