Two King's Plate Winners in Separate Stakes at Woodbine

The respective King's Plate Stakes winners from 2023 and 2024, Paramount Prince  and Caitlinhergrtness , swing back into racing action in separate CA$150,000 graded stakes races Nov. 8 at Woodbine.

A 4-year-old Omaha Beach   filly, Caitlinhergrtness cuts back to a sprint in the second of three stakes on the Saturday program, the Bessarabian Stakes (G3), when she faces an overflow field in a 7-furlong contest over Woodbine's Tapeta surface. She is 3-2-0 in six starts on the main track at Woodbine, none of which have been in a sprint. Her last 10 starts have been at a mile or longer for Kevin Attard, Canada's Sovereign Award-winning trainer in 2024.

Emma-Jayne Wilson rides.

Paramount Prince is established at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Autumn Stakes (G3), having won 3-of-4 at the trip at Woodbine. His only loss at the distance came in the 2024 Autumn when he weakened to eighth after setting the pace.

He faces 12 male rivals, while Caitlinhergrtness battles 13 fillies and mares. Another two females in the Bessarabian, Dolce Sopresa  and Ellen Jay , are on the also-eligible list and would need scratches to compete.

The remaining stakes race at Woodbine Saturday is the seven-horse Maple Leaf Stakes (G3), a race for fillies and mares at the classic distance of 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta. Christopher Nolan's Long Ago , coming out of three consecutive grade 2 turf races United States, pursues a stakes win in the Maple Leaf with a drop in class for trainer William Morey.

Hurricane Clair , For Flying , and Blitz  are other leading contenders.

Clement Shippers to Challenge Caitlinhergrtness

Due to their depth and quality, the Bessarabian and the Autumn are the most compelling of the three stakes on Saturday.

Battling Caitlinhergrtness in the Bessarabian are last-out grade 3 stakes winners Love Cervere  and Les Reys , both from the New York-based stable of trainer Miguel Clement.

Another United States shipper, Godolphin's Pondering , also looms a threat following a third-place finish in the Franklin Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland last month. A minor stakes winner at Ellis Park on grass over the summer for trainer Brendan Walsh, she is untested on Tapeta.

Stormcast , last year's Bessarabian winner, is also in action.

Late-Running Swift Delivery Opposes Paramount Prince

Paramount Prince, a front-running 5-year-old gelding by Society's Chairman  owned by Michael Langlois and Gary Barber, is in search of his first stakes win since July 2024. The Mark Casse trainee romped to a 4-length win in his most recent start, a third-level allowance optional claimer.

He will have to fend off the late rally of his stablemate Swift Delivery , who returns to his preferred surface on the Woodbine Tapeta after running 10th over the undulating Kentucky Downs turf course in the Sept. 6 Mint Millions Invitational Stakes (G3T). The late-running gelded son of Not This Time   races for Barber, Team Valor International, Bruce Zoldan, Steven Rocco, and NFL star Travis Kelce.

With Paramount Prince's regular rider, Patrick Husbands, staying aboard Swift Delivery, Pietro Moran gains the ride on Paramount Prince.

Paramount Prince and Swift Delivery face opposition from Borealis Trail , Funtastic Again , and Cool Kiss , recent grade 3 winners at Woodbine on the main track.