It was the perfect storm for Woodbine on Queen’s Plate day. First of all, there was no storm, as the weather was picture perfect for the first time in many weeks – lots of sun and not so warm as to be oppressive. Also, the fact that the US Open could not be resolved on Sunday possibly inspired some to abandon their tvs for the track. The Blue Jays were on the road and playing the very bad Washington Nationals, so there wasn’t a lot of competition for the attention of sports fans.
From my point of view, it was the largest crowd in maybe 15 years at Woodbine. They don’t charge admission, so an exact count is hard to determine. Michael Burns, track photographer sent me a great shot of the Plate field going down the backstretch and you can see in the background that the stands were full. You will be able to see this picture in the next issue of Down The Stretch, Canada’s most entertaining and informative racing newspaper. We should be in our bins at Woodbine by Thursday June 25.
The race was phenomenal. I had been asked many times before post-time if I was going to bet on Plate Trial winner Eye of the Leopard and my answer was always the same -I don’t bet favourites, but I hope he wins, because I would love to see jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva get a Queen’s Plate. And da Silva sure deserves this one after making his first Plate ride a winning one. He kept Eye of the Leopard slightly off the pace and when Mike Smith launched Mr. Foricos Two You to the front with an eighth of a mile to go, da Silva began riding Eye of the Leopard in earnest. The final 100 yards of the 150th Queen’s Plate may be responsible for a huge spike in nitro-glycerin sales. Mr. Foricos Two You looked as if he would be the champ, but Eye of the Leopard, while drifting a little into the middle of the track was using long athletic strides to whittle the margin and while that was happening, Stewart Elliott had the filly Milwaukee Appeal flying between horses. It might have been a different outcome 50 yards past the wire, but where it counted the most, Eye of the Leopard won by a head, Mr Foricos Two You was second by a neck over Milwaukee Appeal.
The back story to this is certainly bittersweet. This is the fifth Queen’s Plate for Sam-Son Farms. Trainer Mark Frostad sent out Scatter The Gold and Dancethruthedawn in the early 90s for Sam-Son. But the last 18 months have been sad for the Samuel family. In January of 2008, Tammy Samuel-Balaz, who was running the operation, died of cancer and her mother Elizabeth passed away about 10 weeks after that.
I had a lovely moment yesterday. My good friend David Onley, now the Lieutenant Governor for the province, was representing the Queen and when my date, Eleanor and I worked our way to the walking ring right before the Plate, David saw us and asked that we get our pictures taken. We were immediately ushered to his side as cameras clicked. me and the Lieutenant Governor. Real tight. Hope he didn’t bet my tips. I told him I liked Rapid Release and Active Duty. They finished 8th and 12th respectively.
The Queen’s Plate is always an exhausting day for me, but yesterday’s version was especially so. Not only was I compiling pictures and info for the fast closing deadline of Down The Stretch, Canada’s most entertaining and informative racing newspaper, but I also phoned in 7 reports for 680News. Historically, when I’m working the Plate, my wagering suffers as I don’t assign the appropriate time necessary to really handicap competently. Conversely, when I’m trying to bet the races, my reportage tends to suffer, because I’m not really paying full attention to the writing and delivery as my mind is wondering who to bet next.
So, aside from the flawed reports and the losing bets, it was a terrific day at the track.
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