Kin's Concerto Picks Up Tempo to Take Woodbine Oaks

Chiefswood Stables' homebred Kin's Concerto , beaten in her first three starts of 2024, performed flawlessly when the stakes were highest July 20 at Woodbine, rallying to take the CA$503,000 Woodbine Oaks for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Tracking the pace inside in fourth behind fractions of :23.78, :47.96, and 1:12.16 in the 1 1/8-mile race on Tapeta, Kin's Concerto was angled outside for the stretch run and outpunched favored Caitlinhergrtness  by a neck. The latter was 1 1/4 lengths ahead of show finisher Hurricane Clair .

"I wound up right on the rail. Perfect trip," jockey Sofia Vives said in a television interview on horseback shortly after the race. "In the turn, I got to get into the two path and followed the horse that I thought was gonna be a tough one. It opened up, all the holes, and we shot right through."

The Josie Carroll trainee, who returned $11.50 for a $2 win wager, was clocked in 1:51.18. A daughter of Mendelssohn  , she is now 2-2-1 in five starts. 

Top-performing fillies from the Woodbine Oaks often race against males in the CA$1 million King's Plate Stakes, the start of the Canadian Triple Crown for 3-year-olds bred in the country. This year's King's Plate is Aug. 17.

When asked if she would run in the Plate in a winner's circle interview, Robert Landry, general manager of Chiefswood Stables, said, "Probably not," though he said the race would be considered.

"We're going to do what's right by the filly, so we'll let her dictate what we do," he added.

My Boy Prince Seeks a King's Prize After Plate Trial WIN

In another important King's Plate prep Saturday, 1-5 favorite My Boy Prince  gave his mutuel backers a scare in the CA$150,000 Plate Trial Stakes by hopping at the start and then coming under a drive on the second turn to advance from a stalking position, but he ultimately prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths. The Mark Casse trainee came from just off the pace to outrun rallying 26-1 longshot Rafaroo  and 15-1 pacesetter Friendly Ghost . The Gary Barber-owned son of Cairo Prince   raced 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta in 1:51.12 and returned $2.50 to win.

My Boy Prince likely heads to the King's Plate as the favorite. The five-time stakes winner is 6-for-10 and has twice been grade 1-placed, including when third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) last fall at Santa Anita Park. He typically races on or near the lead.

"I didn't mind him sitting off the pace today just because the King's Plate is going to be a lot of horses, and anything could happen," jockey Sahin Civaci said.

Solo Album, Cruden Bay Capture Graded Stakes

Saturday's card at Woodbine also included the CA$138,240 Trillium Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares on Tapeta and the CA$200,200 Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) at seven furlongs on turf.

Casse went 1-2 in the Trillium when pacesetting Solo Album  had just enough left under Civaci to outlast a hard-charging Forever Dixie . The Kevin Attard-trained Fashionably Fab  ran a close third in what was a bid for a sixth consecutive stakes victory.

A 4-year-old daughter of Curlin  , Solo Album is owned by Barber, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Steven Rocco. She raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.90 and returned $6.60 to win as a slight favorite.

In the Connaught Cup, the lone grass stakes race of the card, Michael Lay's Cruden Bay  ran down War Bomber  under Vives. The Donald MacRae-trained 6-year-old gelding by Big Screen  notched his first stakes win in his second try in stakes company, coming in his 22nd career start. He raced seven furlongs on "good" turf in 1:21.27 and paid $10.50 to win.

Ironstone  ran third.