TORONTO – It wasn’t excellent however My Boy Prince nonetheless confirmed Saturday he deserves to be thought-about among the many favourites for subsequent month’s $1-million King’s Plate.
My Boy Prince, with Sahin Civaci aboard, reared on the start however nonetheless recovered to win the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack. The 1-5 favorite earned a 1 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:51.12.
Also on the identical card, jockey Sofia Vives guided Kin’s Concerto to victory in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks for three-year-old fillies. Her successful time in that 1 1/8-mile race was 1:51.18.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Woodbine-Michael Burns
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My Boy Prince broke awkwardly earlier than settling into stride as Friendly Ghost went to the entrance. Civaci had my Boy Prince, skilled by Mark Casse, sitting fifth in the seven-horse area in the opening quarter however rallied his horse into rivalry heading into the ultimate flip.
Ultimately, Civaci was in a position to maintain Rafaroo, a 26-1 long-shot, at bay for the victory. Friendly Ghost was third forward of Piper’s Factor.
“Today, he broke (a) little badly, but he pulled through,” mentioned Civaci. “It is just a little worrisome in the event that they get away from you, however the tempo was going just a little straightforward and he has tactical velocity.
“I didn’t mind him sitting off the pace today because the King’s Plate (Aug. 17) is going to be a lot of horses, and anything can happen. Sometimes, you can’t be on the lead, so I wanted to see him relax a bit.”
My Boy Prince earned his sixth win from 10 profession begins (twice second, third).
Kin’s Concerto captured the Oaks with a spirited stretch run to end a neck forward of 3-1 favorite Caitlinhergrtness. Kin’s Conerto was making her stakes debut in the 14-horse area for Chiefswood Farms.
Hurricane Clair was third forward of A Little Frisky.
“We just wanted to break in early position,” mentioned Vives. “We wound up proper on the rail.
“Perfect trip in the turn, I got to get into a two-path, followed the horse that I thought was going to be a tough one, it opened up all the holes, and we shot right through.”
Trainer Josie Carroll earned her 999th profession victory and praised each Vives and Kin’s Concerto.
“This young lady has improved leaps and bounds this year,” Carroll mentioned. “She fits this filly very, very a lot, she listens to directions, which is what I actually like about her.
“She (Sin’s Concerto) has always shown some talent, she’s just had some unfortunate luck. Different things that have gone wrong and problems in races. A horse that closes and hooks big fields and has to get through — it’s always a challenge.”
Rob Landry, Chiefswood’s GM, earned a fifth Oaks crown. The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer earned three victories as a jockey and now has two as Chiefswood’s normal supervisor.
“(Kin’s Concerto) just shows you the signs and Josie’s team has done a tremendous job with her as well,” Landry mentioned. “Sofia rode her nice.
“It was well deserved. I’m happy for the owners, they put a lot into this game and especially when you’re in the breeding operation, these types of races are really big.”
Kin’s Concerto has two wins, two second-place efforts and a third-place end from 5 begins.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed July 20, 2024.
