The Minkster Aims to Remain Perfect in Plate Trial

The July 24 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine, a key prep on the road to the Aug. 21 Queen's Plate, has drawn nine hopefuls, including The Minkster , who is unbeaten in three starts. ​​The CA$150,000 Plate Trial is a 1 1/8-mile race on Tapeta for 3-year-olds foaled in Canada.

The Minkster, a son of English Channel  trained by Dan Vella for owner Sea Glass Stables, arrives at his fourth lifetime start off a head score over Rondure , another Plate heavyweight, in the Queenston Stakes June 12.

"Three things didn't go the way we expected, and he still won," offered Vella. "I ran him a bit short, we may have moved a bit early, and he got to the front and thought, 'Okay, we've won, the race is over.' So, three things that weren't what we wanted, and he still managed to get the win. That's very impressive. You forget that it was only the third start of his life, and they can still run green at that point."

The Minkster's two races last year resulted in larger margins of victory.

Now, Vella, who has 864 career wins, will look to have his sophomore standout ready to fire in the colt's final race before the Plate.

"There are a lot of fast horses, but what really defines the better ones—I've had great horses with great personalities and great horses with bad personalities—is that they have an unbelievable tolerance for training and an unbelievable cardio system. I guess it's like great athletes. That's what I appreciate about these types of horses, that they seem to have a great capacity for training, a great capacity for recovering and a great capacity for competing. He is all of that. Sometimes you can't find the bottom... he just keeps on going.

Vella, who has two Plate trophies to his name, in 1994 with Basqueian and in 2012 with Strait of Dover , sees a few similarities between the trio.

"Certainly, he's in the same league as them. He has that great cardio system and endurance. He trains like them. You never know until you get to that final eighth of a mile whether he's that good or not, but he definitely trains like them."

Other Plate Trial starters include the Mark Casse duo of Hall of Dreams  and Sir for Sure , Gail Cox trainees Guard of Honour  and Dancin in Da'nile , and Causin' Mayhem , sent out by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. ​

Also on the Sunday card is the CA$500,000 Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser and two graded stakes.

Moira , Sahlabiya , and Pioneer's Edge  are the favorites in the Oaks for 3-year-old Canadian-bred fillies, which like the Plate Trial is over 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

A win in the Oaks can also vault horses into the Queen's Plate.