Moira Takes on Boys in Queen’s Plate

A field of 11 led by the filly Moira will line up on Sunday in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine.

The Queen’s Plate is the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown and will be contested at 1 ¼ miles over the synthetic Tapeta surface.

The $400,000 Prince of Wales, which is run at 1 3/16 miles on dirt at Fort Erie on September 13 is the second jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown. The series concludes with the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes at 1 ½-miles on turf at Woodbine.

The last to sweep the series was Wando in 2003. The colt was the seventh Triple Crown winner.

The Queen’s Plate is the 10^th race on a 13-race card at Woodbine on Sunday. The supporting features include the $200,000 Canadian (G2) and thew $200,000 King Edward (G2).

The Kevin Attard trained Moira is seeking to become the fifth filly to win the Queen’s Plate in the last dozen years. She has won three of her four career starts, taking the Woodbine Oaks in her last outing on July 24. Last year, Attard sent out Munnyfor Ro to win the Oaks and was fourth in the Queen’s Plate.

“Typically, when you win the Oaks, depending on how impressive they are doing it, you always have to think of the Queen’s Plate,” said Attard. “It’s something we have always had in the back of our minds, and we geared her campaign so the Plate would be her third race of the season and she’d be fresh.”

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Let’s take a look at Sunday’s Queen’s Plate:

Woodbine Race 10 The Queen’s Plate Post time 5:42 ET

8 Moira 5-2

11 Causin’ Mayhem 6-1

4 The Minkster 10-1

5 Duke of Love 5-1

Moira

This filly takes on the boys here with a five-pound break in the weights. Fillies have fared well in the Queen’s Plate, winning four of the last 11 editions. The Kevin Attard trainee coms in off a smart win in the Woodbine Oaks where she drew away to win by 10 ¾ lengths at even money. The runner up in that race was Sister Seagull who came back to win the Bison City at Woodbine on Aug. 17. She makes her third start off the bench. She looks capable of being a bit closer to the front here as there is not a ton of early zip signed up. She is out of the stakes winner Devine Aida ($273,215) and a half sister to stakes winner Jungle Cry ($114,340).

Causin’ Mayhem

The Todd Pletcher trainee set the early fractions in the Plate Trial and could not go with the top pair late in a third-place finish. It was his first trip on tapeta after mossing by a neck on good turf in his debut and graduating in the mud second out in a race taken off the turf at Belmont Park. He draws a tough post but has enough early speed and there is a long run to the first turn. Worth giving this guy another look if we catch most of the 6-1 morning line. He is a half to Ghostly Presence ($323,277), a stakes winner and four-time winner over the fake stuff.

The Minkster

This colt was the beaten chalk in the Plate Trial. He tracked the early pace, made a good middle move to get into the mix and did not have enough punch left late. He was stretching out from seven furlongs off the bench two back where he held on to win the Queenston by a head. He should be tighter third off the layoff here for the Dan Vella barn and the 10-1 morning line looks fair enough to put him in the mix.