#HORSERACING: FIELD SET FOR 2026 KING’S PLATE

Twelve sophomores, including the filly Luster, will contest the $1 million King’s Plate, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, showcasing an outstanding stakes-filled Saturday card of racing at Woodbine.

The 167th edition of The King’s Plate, North America’s oldest continually run race, contested at 1 ¼ miles on the Woodbine main track, is the first event in the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.

Wando, bred and owned by the late Gustav Schickedanz, was the last horse to accomplish the feat, in 2003. The $500,000 Prince of Wales, run at 1 3/16 miles on the dirt at Fort Erie on Sept. 7, is the second leg. The $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, at 1 ½ miles over the E.P. Taylor turf at Woodbine on Sept. 27, concludes the series. ​

The King’s Plate festivities, including the post-position draw – a “Pick your post” format – were co-hosted by Woodbine TV personality/commentator/handicapper Jeff Bratt and Ignite World Racing host Mark McKelvie, and held on the rooftop of the Woodbine paddock. The event was attended by many of the race’s connections and included remarks from Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment.

This year’s running brings together an intriguing field that features accomplished stakes winners alongside determined longshots, with many of the sport’s leading owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys represented. Luster and Dixie Law, the two fillies in the Plate, will carry 121 pounds under the race’s weight allowance, while all other starters are assigned 126 pounds.

Luster arrives at the Plate off a head-turning triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks on July 19, a 5 ½-length romp in a time of 1:50.99.

To be ridden again by John Velazquez, the daughter of Knicks Go out of The Factor mare Ruby Frost is 4-0-1 from five starts for owners Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck) and Andrew Rosen.

Bred by Mr. Ravi Sugrim and Ms. Joannie Dass, Luster won her first two starts, the first at Woodbine in 2025, before winning at Keeneland to launch her 3-year-old campaign and then finishing third in the Ruling Angel Stakes this May.

Trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll, a three-time Plate winner, Luster heads into the “Gallop for the Guineas” off a pair of wins, the Selene Stakes (G3) and Woodbine Oaks.

“I thought she would run really well in it [Woodbine Oaks],” said Josie Carroll. “She’s a very, very athletic horse. She actually exceeded what I expected in that race. Looking at a horse like that, I thought she impressed in that race.”

Brandon Duchaine is the groom.

A son of Good Magic out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Pacific Dancer, Baaeed Alynna is one of two (Very Special is the other) Kevin Attard trainees in this year’s Plate.

The chestnut colt, 1-0-1 from three starts, will contest his third stakes event when he goes into the gate on Saturday. He was sixth in his most recent start, the Plate Trial, on July 19.

“I love the way he goes out and goes about his business,” said Attard, a three-time winner of the Plate, including last year with Mansetti. “Whatever you ask of him, he’s happy to oblige. He is a horse that has a lot of talent. He is lightly raced, but that said, he is showing us every sign that he can handle the Plate distance.” ​

Bred by Saintsbury Farms Inc., Baaeed Alynna is owned by Tagermeen Racing LLC.

Sahin Civaci gets the call.

Beresford Lee is the groom.

Bond Market, fresh off a debut win, is trained by Carlos Grant.

The chestnut gelding lit up the tote board at 45-1 in his 1 ½-length score over 1 mile of Woodbine inner turf on July 5.

A son of Bond Street (IRE) out of the Pulpit mare Champagne Dynasty, Bond Market is bred and owned by Brian O’Leary (Polo Management Services).

“His biggest strength is getting on the track, he loves to be on the track,” said Grant. “From the time he gets on the track, his biggest strength, he loves to do his job, he loves to work, he just loves to get out of the stall and get on the track. He is a competitor and he loves the competition as you can see in his first race.”

Bond Market will be ridden by Xarel Forde, who was aboard for the milestone victory.

Damien Kellman is the groom.

Trained by Julia Carey, Manitoba-bred Brachetto (a red Italian wine grape variety grown predominantly in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy) stamped himself as a top Plate contender after a sharp win in the Marine Stakes (G3) on June 27.

Having reached the podium in all five career starts (2-1-2), the bay colt debuted with a third, then followed it up with a second. His maiden-breaking moment came in his 3-year-old debut when he won a 6-furlong main track race by three-quarters of a length on May 10.

Bred by Dr. Ross McKague, who co-owns with his wife Brenda, Brachetto, should he win on Saturday, would be the first Manitoba-bred to win the Plate.

“Everything is on schedule,” said Carey. “He’s acting well, eating well, and travelling well. He loves to train. I can’t seem to do enough work with him. He’s not a real big, tall horse, but he’s a very well-built horse.”

Ryan Munger will once again ride the son of Vekoma out of the Include mare Colorino.

Gary Sutherland is the groom.

Trained by Dale Desruisseaux (who also sends out Highwaytothemoon) for owner/breeder Garland Willliamson, graded stakes winner Dixie Law is 4-1-1 from eight career starts.

A daughter of Tiz the Law out of the Union Rags mare Bit of Dixie, the bay filly won last year’s Cup & Saucer Stakes and Mazarine Stakes (G3). This year, she took the Ruling Angel and was second in the Woodbine Oaks.

“After the campaign she had last year, we thought she was a good horse, and that, hopefully, she would progress over the winter into her 3-year-old year,” said Desruisseaux. “Based on her first couple of races this year, we think she deserves a chance.”

The 2025 Sovereign Award finalist in the Champion Two-Year-Old Filly category will have the services of Pietro Moran, who rode Mansetti to Plate glory last year. ​

Kyle MacDonald is the groom.

Don Ique, trained by Josie Carroll for owner Mike Cooke, has crafted a 2-0-1 mark from seven starts.

Bred by Jeffrey Yingling, the son of Astern (AUS) out of the Cacique (IRE) mare Iquique (FR) rhymed off two straight wins, one to close out his 2-year-old campaign and the curtain-raiser on his 3-year-old season. The roan colt was a rallying fifth in the Plate Trial on July 19.

“I really had thought we were off the King’s Plate trail with him, but he ran such a nice race there [Plate Trial], he galloped out so strongly that I felt that he deserved to run in the Plate,” said Carroll.

Emma-Jayne Wilson, winner of the 2007 Plate with Mike Fox, will be in the irons.

Mario Williams is the groom.

The field’s most experienced runner, Fire and Wine, 2-0-3 from 10 starts, was the upset winner of last year’s Coronation Futurity Stakes.

Trained by Zeljko Krcmar and owned by Paul Ryder, the son of Lexitonian out of The Factor mare Double Latte broke his maiden in the penultimate start of his rookie season, one race before his 16-1 Coronation Futurity victory.

Bred by James and Janeane Everatt, Arika Meeuse and Robert Marzilli, Fire and Wine will contest his fifth straight stakes engagement.

“He’s going to be in top shape for the Plate,” said Krcmar. “I believe he is in the top shape of his life. He’s good. He’s sound. He’s healthy. He likes to run. He’s brave on the front.”

Jalon Samuel gets the call.

Tafari Chang is the groom.

Trained by Dale Desruisseaux for Niagara Farms (Centennial) Inc., Highwaytothemoon has missed the top three just once in his career (4-1-1 from seven starts).

Bred by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, the son of Ransom the Moon out of the Society’s Chairman mare High Society Gal has won back-to-back stakes, the Queenston and Plate Trial, ahead of the Plate. ​

“He didn’t try to do anything more than we wanted him to,” said Desruisseaux. “In hindsight, that’s probably one of his better attributes where I think he’ll get the extra distance just on that quality alone.”

The bay gelding won his debut last August and finished third in the Simcoe Stakes next time out.

To be ridden by Rafael Hernandez, who has three Plate trophies, Highwaytothemoon will make his sixth stakes start on Saturday.

Robert Martin is the groom.

Trained by Harold Ladouceur, who co-owns with his wife Jessie through their Oh Em Gee Stable, along with Ad Noir, LLC, multiple stakes placed Imyourmedicineman heads into the Plate off a strong runner-up performance in the Plate Trial.

Out of the Silent Name (JPN) mare Silent Sparkle, the bay gelding, 1-2-1 from seven starts, was third in last year’s Coronation Futurity and second in the Plate Trial on July 19.

The son of 2015 Plate winner and multiple graded stakes victor Shaman Ghost broke his maiden in his second start, taking a 1 mile and 70-yard main track maiden optional claimer by 2 ¾ lengths.

“He didn’t run that well his last two starts before the Plate Trial,” noted Harold Ladouceur. “We had to figure things out, get him back, eating the way we wanted, and put proper weight on him. His training was good all along. I think the style that he raced those races wasn’t really what he wanted. He was near the lead, and when it came time to go, he just put his head up and did not want to run. I think he needs to sort of cover it up and take a little bit of a hold, and then let him run, even though he’s sharp out of the gate.”

Imyourmedicineman was bred by John Hyka.

Luis Contreras, who won the 2011 Plate with Inglorious and the 2017 running with Holy Helena, gets the mount.

Jessie Ladouceur is the groom.

Magical Factor, bred and owned by Chiefswood Stables (who won the 2004 Plate with Niigon), heads into the biggest race of his career to date off a second in the Marine Stakes (G3) on June 27.

Under the tutelage of trainer Rachel Halden, the son of multiple graded stakes winner The Factor out of the Malibu Moon mare Think Magic has fashioned a record of 1-2-0 from five starts.

To be ridden by Jose Campos, the bay gelding has finished second in his past two outings after breaking his maiden in a 1 1/16-mile turf race at Keeneland on Apr. 11.

“His races have improved as the year has gone along,” said Halden. “He’s a very good-looking horse; he’s a striking horse. Anybody that sees him for the first time, that is what they’re going to notice.”

Regulo Perez is the groom.

Owned by Gary Barber and St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola), and trained by Mark Casse, Military Time comes into his fifth stakes affair off a rallying third in the Plate Trial Stakes.

Bred by Adena Springs, the son of Gun Runner out of the Signature Red multiple stakes-winning mare Red Cabernet is 2-2-1 from six starts.

He won at first asking on Aug. 31, 2025, was fifth next time out in the Cup & Saucer Stakes, and second in the Coronation Futurity to complete his 2-year-old campaign.

“The [Plate] distance will probably be an asset to [Military Time] but he’s still not focusing,” said Casse, who has three Plate wins, in 2014 with Lexie Lou, in 2018 with Wonder Gadot and in 2024 with Paramount Prince. “So, we need him just to focus more, but also, like I said, I think more ground will help him.”

Fraser Aebly will be in the irons on Saturday.

Ivan Forde is the groom.

Very Special, trained by Kevin Attard, will look to break his maiden in the Plate.

Sporting a 0-1-2 mark from three starts, the son of Ghostzapper out of the unraced Into Mischief mare Crowning Jewel will make his stakes debut in the $1 million classic.

Bred and owned by Stronach Stables, the bay colt was third in his previous outing, a race in which he hopped at the start and was slammed by an outside rival soon after.

“He rallied well in his first race, fought back to finish second in his next start, and had a less-than-ideal beginning in his most recent performance,” said Attard, who will add blinkers for the Plate. “Obviously, you would like to see a win beside his name, but if he decides to do it in the Plate, we have no problem with that.”

Romero Ramsay Maragh will be aboard.

Mervin Daniel is the groom.

Saturday’s card also features a quintet of stakes: the $200,000 bet365 King Edward (G2T), at 1 mile on the E.P. Taylor turf for 3-year-olds and up; the $200,000 Canadian Stakes Presented by The Japan Racing Association (G2T), at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf for fillies & mares 3-year-olds and up; $175,000 Bold Venture Stakes (G3), at 6 ½ furlongs on the main track for 3-year-olds and up; $150,000 bet365 Soaring Free, at 6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-olds; and the $150,000 Catch A Glimpse, at 6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-old fillies.

First post for Saturday is 12:30 p.m. (ET). The national Plate broadcast will be televised on Citytv starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. ​ ​

Biographies for each King’s Plate contender can be found here: woodbine.com/blog/167th-kings-plate-media-guide-2/

For the latest information, fans can follow @WoodbineTB on both X and Instagram, as well as @WoodbineComms on X. ​ ​

Field for the $1 million King’s Plate

Post – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Morning Line Odds

1 – Luster – Josie Carroll – John Velazquez – 1-1

2 – Fire and Wine – Zeljko Krcmar – Jalon Samuel – 30-1 ​

3 – Baaeed Alynna – Kevin Attard – Sahin Civaci – 30-1 ​

4 – Imyourmedicineman – Harold Ladouceur – Luis Contreras – 20-1

5 – Dixie Law – Dale Desruisseaux – Pietro Moran – 10-1

6 – Don Ique – Josie Carroll – Emma-Jayne Wilson – 30-1 ​

7 – Magical Factor – Rachel Halden – Jose Campos – 10-1 ​

8 – Highwaytothemoon – Dale Desruisseaux – Rafael Hernandez – 6-1 ​

9 – Brachetto – Julia Carey – Ryan Munger – 5-1 ​

10 – Very Special – Kevin Attard – Romero Ramsay Maragh – 30-1 ​

11 – Bond Market – Carlos Grant – Xarel Forde – 30-1

12 – Military Time – Mark Casse – Fraser Aebly – 12-1 ​