Woodbine Queen's Plate Stakes Review

by Patricia Woo | Jul 5 2010

Thirteen horses were on hand for the 151st running of the $944,316 Queen's Plate Stakes, a 1 ¼ mile race for 3-year-olds held at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday, July 4. Mobilizer, a son of Motivator trained by Roger Attfield, was sent off as the 7-2 choice. He had broken his maiden at Woodbine Park on May 8 and was looking to redeem a runner-up finish in the Plate Trial Stakes on June 13 against fellow Queen Plate Stakes rival Big Red Mike. But under regular rider Jono Jones, Mobilizer ran out of steam in the upper stretch and did not factor into the finish of the top three.

Instead, it was Big Red Mike who set the pace, under jockey Eurico Da Silva who had been aboard for Big Red Mike's triumph in the Plate Trial. The duo broke well but was immediately set upon by pursuers – Hotep, who went head-to-head with some of the American Triple Crown hopefuls earlier this year, was one of those stalking the pace. With Patrick Husbands aboard, Hotep pressured Big Red Mike until the top of the stretch, where Big Red Mike began to pull away.

Meanwhile, Roan Inish, a daughter of Elusive Quality, chased the leaders from mid-pack. With David Moran in the irons, the filly began to make ground on the pacesetters as the field rounded the turn.

But Big Red Mike would not give way, sweeping to the wire in a driving finish in a time of 2:04.89 on the synthetic Polytrack surface. Hotep finished second, with Roan Inish rallying for third.

Rounding out the order of finish: Giant's Tomb (who finished with an impressive rally for fourth), Mobthewarrier, Dark Cloud Dancer, Smart Sky, Moment of Majesty, Who We Gunna Call, Mobilizer, Ghost Fleet, Vicar Street and D's Wando.

Big Red Mike's record now improves to 6-3-2-1, and with the $564,780 winner's share of the purse, his earnings increase to $732,176. Trained by Nicholas Gonzalez, he is the first gelding to win the Queen's Plate Stakes since 2002 and could be going on to the next jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes. It is hosted by Fort Erie Racetrack and will be held this year on July 15. The third and final jewel is the Breeders' Stakes, which will take place at Woodbine Ractrack this year on Aug. 15.

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