Queen's Plate Card at Woodbine Tops Saturday Racing

Each Saturday NTRA and BloodHorse provide a one-stop guide to the day's graded stakes races. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). Click on links for full preview.

HRRN will offer radio coverage live from Woodbine for the Queen's Plate. Coverage of the Queen's Plate presented by TwinSpires and Hill n' Dale Farm will run from 4-6 pm EDT and can heard on Sirius/XM 156 and streamed live on horseracingradio.net.

Saturday June 29

2:53 p.m.—$175,000 King Edward Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine (TVG)

Emmaus, a sharp second when making his local bow in the grade 2 Connaught Cup, will be looking to go one better as he returns from his Kentucky base for Saturday's King Edward Stakes. The 5-year-old Emmaus, winner of a pair of listed stakes in England and purchased at auction there last October, was a good runner-up when making his North American bow in Belmont's Elusive Quality at seven furlongs on the turf this April.

Entries: King Edward S. (G2T)

Woodbine, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 6

• Grade IIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $175,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 2:53 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Vanish (ON)	Kazushi Kimura	117	Vito Armata	20/1
2	2Synchrony (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Michael Stidham	7/5
3	3Say the Word (ON)	Junior Alvarado	117	H. Graham Motion	8/1
4	4Savage Battle (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	117	Nicholas Nosowenko	20/1
5	5Mr Ritz (GB)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	119	Josie Carroll	6/1
6	6Curlin's Honor (FL)	Flavien Prat	119	Mark E. Casse	9/2
7	7Emmaus (IRE)	David Moran	117	Conor Murphy	3/1
8	8Rose's Vision (ON)	Gary Boulanger	117	Stuart C. Simon	12/1

4:18 p.m.—$175,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine (TVG)

Two years after her dominant victory in the Queen's Plate, Holy Helena has come home to race on Plate day at Woodbine, albeit in the Dance Smartly Stakes. The 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper  was chosen Canada's top 3-year-old filly in 2017 after she swept both the Woodbine Oaks and the Plate. Her first six starts had been on dirt and synthetic tracks, but trainer Jimmy Jerkins switched her to the turf to open her 4-year-old season, and she promptly won three consecutive races.

Entries: Dance Smartly S. (G2T)

Woodbine, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 8

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/4m
• Turf
• $175,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Holy Helena (ON)	Javier Castellano	122	James A. Jerkens	9/5
2	2Art of Almost (KY)	Kazushi Kimura	111	Roger L. Attfield	20/1
3	3Empressof the Nile (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	116	H. Graham Motion	15/1
4	4Starship Jubilee (FL)	Luis Contreras	122	Kevin Attard	2/1
5	5Get Explicit (KY)	Patrick Husbands	116	Barbara J. Minshall	10/1
6	6Cartabianca (FR)	Alan Garcia	116	Roger L. Attfield	20/1
7	7Lift Up (KY)	Alex Cintron	116	Michael W. Dickinson	6/1
8	8Rock my Love (GER)	Flavien Prat	116	Jonathan Thomas	7/2

4:51 p.m.—$300,000 Highlander Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine (TVG)

Wet Your Whistle, a 4-year-old son of Stroll, heads into Saturday's six-furlong Highlander Stakes at the top of his game. Riding a three-race win streak, including a monster performance in the Get Serious Stakes at Monmouth Park in May.

Entries: Highlander S. (G1T)

Woodbine, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 6f
• Turf
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:51 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Extravagant Kid (FL)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	119	Brendan P. Walsh	6/1
2	2Caribou Club (FL)	Drayden Van Dyke	123	Thomas F. Proctor	7/5
3	3El Tormenta (ON)	Luis Contreras	123	Gail Cox	5/1
4	4Souper Smart (KY)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	117	Mark E. Casse	15/1
5	5Detroit Steel (IRE)	Justin Stein	117	Clint Abraham	30/1
6	6Tricks to Doo (KY)	Junior Alvarado	117	Arnaud Delacour	12/1
7	7Wet Your Whistle (KY)	Alex Cintron	117	Michael J. Trombetta	10/1
8	8White Flag (KY)	Javier Castellano	119	Christophe Clement	7/2
9	9Yorkton (ON)	Jesse M. Campbell	121	Stuart C. Simon	10/1

5:18 p.m.—$250,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park (TVG, Fox Sports 2)

John Oxley's Wings of Dawn will be making her stakes debut in her first career start on dirt as part of a six-horse field of 3-year-old fillies in the 63rd running of the Mother Goose. The likely favorite figures to be Peter Brant's Dunbar Road, who has never finished out of the exacta in three career starts, winning her debut March 3 at Gulfstream Park before finishing second in the grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks March 30.

Entries: Mother Goose S. (G2)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 8

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dunbar Road (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Chad C. Brown	4/5
2	2Classic Fit (KY)	Jose Lezcano	121	Michael Stidham	8/1
3	3Safta (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	Dermot Magner	6/1
4	4Jeltrin (KY)	Leonel Reyes	121	Alexis Delgado	4/1
5	5Cassies Dreamer (KY)	Manuel Franco	121	Barclay Tagg	10/1
6	6Wings of Dawn (KY)	Dylan Davis	121	Mark E. Casse	5/1

5:30 p.m.—$250,000 Princess Rooney Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park (TVG)

Stormy Embrace is scheduled to seek a title defense and another shot at the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) in Saturday's Princess Rooney, a seven-furlong Breeders' Cup 'Win & You're In' qualifier. 

5:36 p.m.—$1,000,000 Queen's Plate Stakes at Woodbine (TVG)

Avie's Flatter, Canada's champion 2-year-old male, looms as the horse to beat when he faces 13 other Queen's Plate hopefuls in the $1 million showpiece over 1 1/4 miles on Woodbine's Tapeta surface. Avie's Flatter, a homebred who races for owner Ivan Dalos and is trained by Josie Carroll, wrapped up his first campaign with back-to-back wins over fellow Canadian-breds in the Cup and Saucer at 1 1/16 miles on turf and the Coronation Futurity over 1 1/8 miles on the main track. Norcliffe was the last horse to win both the Coronation Futurity and the Queen's Plate, completing that double in 1976.

Entries: Queen's Plate S.

Woodbine, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/4m
• All Weather Track
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo
• 5:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Desert Ride (ON)	Steven Ronald Bahen	121	Neil J. Howard	8/1
2	2Moon Swings (ON)	Jesse M. Campbell	126	Michael P. De Paulo	30/1
3	3Krachenwagen (ON)	Jeffrey Ian Alderson	126	Angus Buntain	50/1
4	4Pay for Peace (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	126	Rachel Halden	15/1
5	5One Bad Boy (ON)	Flavien Prat	126	Richard Baltas	7/2
6	6Lucas n' Lori (ON)	Kazushi Kimura	126	Kevin Attard	50/1
7	7Federal Law (ON)	Jamie P. Spencer	126	Mark E. Casse	15/1
8	8He's a Macho Man (ON)	Patrick Husbands	126	Josie Carroll	15/1
9	9Suitedconnected (ON)	Gary Boulanger	126	Robert Earl Barnett	50/1
10	10Skywire (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	126	Mark E. Casse	4/1
11	11Tone Broke (ON)	Luis Contreras	126	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
12	12Jammin Still (ON)	Alan Garcia	126	Kevin Attard	30/1
13	13Rising Star (ON)	Justin Stein	126	Michael P. De Paulo	30/1
14	14Avie's Flatter (ON)	Javier Castellano	126	Josie Carroll	5/2

5:59 p.m.—$125,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs (TVG, FS2)

Rookie Salsa tops a field of 10 2-year-olds entered in the 118th running of the Bashford Manor, part of a trio of stakes races on closing day of the 38-day spring meet at Churchill Downs. Rookie Salsa, trained by Maryland-based conditioner Jeremiah O'Dwyer, rallied from four-lengths off the pace to defeat seven rivals under jockey Angel Suarez in the five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile May 1. 

Entries: Bashford Manor S. (G3)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 11

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $125,000
• 2 yo
• 5:59 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Phantom Boss (CA)	Rafael Bejarano	120	Jorge Periban	9/5
2	2Snell Yeah (KY)	Gabriel Saez	118	John Ennis	8/1
3	3Alec and Arthur (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	John A. Hancock	8/1
4	4Rookie Salsa (FL)	Angel Suarez	122	Jeremiah O'Dwyer	5/1
5	5Finnick the Fierce (KY)	Abel Lezcano	120	Rey Hernandez	30/1
6	6Silent Malice (KY)	Chris Landeros	118	Patrick B. Byrne	20/1
7	7Jamming Cameron (KY)	Aaron J. Court	120	Tommy C. Short	30/1
8	8Verb (KY)	James Graham	118	J. Keith Desormeaux	9/2
9	9Two Last Words (IN)	Corey J. Lanerie	120	Tim Glyshaw	15/1
10	10Rowdy Yates (OK)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2

6:02 p.m.—$250,000 Smile Sprint Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park (TVG)

Proforma, already a graded-stakes winner on the turf, will attempt to duplicate that success on dirt as part of a wide-open field of seven sprinters in the Smile Sprint going six furlongs. 

6:15 p.m.—$100,000 Chicago Handicap (G3) at Arlington International Racecourse (TVG)

Defending race winner Hotshot Anna puts her four-race win streak on the line as she comes off a layoff against eight other challengers in the seven-furlong Chicago Handicap. Owned and trained by Hugh Robertson, Hotshot Anna will be making her first start since taking the grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes last September.

Entries: Chicago H. (G3)

Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 8

• Grade III
• 7f
• All Weather Track
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Student Body (KY)	Sophie Doyle	117	Christopher Davis	4/1
2	2My Mertie (IL)	Carlos H. Marquez, Jr.	118	Michele Boyce	15/1
3	3Hotshot Anna (KY)	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	123	Hugh H. Robertson	5/2
4	4Heavenly Hill (KY)	Ty Kennedy	115	Chris A. Hartman	5/1
5	5Tough Irma (FL)	Jermaine V. Bridgmohan	114	Cipriano Contreras	12/1
6	6Excessivespending (KY)	Mitchell Murrill	119	Chris A. Hartman	9/2
7	7Always Believe (KY)	Pedro L. Cotto, Jr.	115	Michael E. Lauer	10/1
8	8Annathela (KY)	Edgar Perez	117	George R. Arnold, II	8/1
9	9Babybluesbdancing (IL)	Julio E. Felix	115	James M. Gulick	20/1