Paramount Prince, ridden by Patrick Husbands, secured victory in the 164th King's Plate horse race in Toronto on Sunday, August 20, 2023. The event was captured by Mark Blinch for The Canadian Press.
Toronto is set for an exciting horse racing showdown as My Boy Prince has been installed as the 7-5 early favourite for this year’s King’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack, the opening leg of the OLG Triple Crown. The competition will see jockeys Patrick Husbands and Sahin Civaci reignite their rivalry, having finished first and second in last year’s race.
Husbands will be riding the 2-1 second-favourite, Essex Serpent, while Civaci will be on My Boy Prince. Both horses are under the guidance of veteran trainer Mark Casse, who is no stranger to the King’s Plate, having won it three times already. Last year, Husbands secured Casse's third victory with Paramount Prince, while Civaci took second on Elysian Field, another Casse-trained horse. Casse humorously noted that this year, one jockey will aim to keep the status quo, while the other will be determined to flip the result.
Casse also enters Midnight Mascot, ridden by Kazushi Kimura, who has been Woodbine’s top jockey for three consecutive seasons. Midnight Mascot is a 10-1 contender in the 1 1/4-mile race, held on Woodbine’s all-weather course.
The King’s Plate, the oldest continuously run race in North America, has a storied history. My Boy Prince, the early favourite, drew the advantageous post No. 7, which Casse considers ideal. Essex Serpent will break from post No. 3, and Midnight Mascot from post No. 5 in the 13-horse field. Casse expressed satisfaction with the post positions, calling My Boy Prince's spot "perfect."
Trainer Kevin Attard, who won the Plate in 2022 with filly Moira, will have four horses in Saturday’s race, including Woodbine Oaks runner-up Caitlinhergrtness, the field’s lone filly. Caitlinhergrtness, who will start from post No. 4, is a 12-1 underdog but has shown promise with two wins, a second, and a third from six starts. Attard is optimistic about her chances, praising her performance in the Oaks, where she narrowly missed out on victory.
Attard's other entries include Bedard (30-1), Jokestar (20-1), and Pierre (20-1). Bedard, named after NHL star Connor Bedard, has yet to win in six starts but has finished second three times. He will be ridden by apprentice Pietro Moran. Attard joked that he would love to see a four-way tie among his horses but emphasized that all it takes is one to win, and he hopes to have that one.
My Boy Prince has demonstrated resilience, overcoming a challenging start to win the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths last month. The colt, Canada’s champion two-year-old male, has won six of his ten starts and never finished out of the top three. Trainer Casse admires My Boy Prince's ability to triumph even when things don’t go smoothly, likening him to a "great horse" for his perseverance.
Essex Serpent also enters the Plate with momentum, having won the Grade 3 Marine Stakes in June. Casse noted that it’s tough to separate My Boy Prince and Essex Serpent in terms of talent, making this year's race a must-watch event.
Casse, who has won 16 Canadian Trainer of the Year titles, says that winning the Plate never gets old due to its prestige and history. The last horse to win the Canadian Triple Crown was Wando in 2003, ridden by Patrick Husbands.
The complete list of horses, jockeys, and odds for the Plate includes a variety of contenders, each with their own story and hopes for victory.
