By Joe Bianca
A baker's dozen of Canadian-bred 3-year-olds will take on a new challenge in the 10-furlong Queen's Plate, the crown jewel of the country's racing season, with many near the top in a muddled division looking for a breakout performance.
Slight morning-line favoritism lies with Ivan Dalos' Amis Gizmo (Giant Gizmo), who has spent his whole career over Woodbine's synthetic surfaces and most recently captured the local nine-furlong prep Plate Trial S. by 2 1/2 lengths June 12. The Josie Carroll trainee used that race to rebound from his only blemish in six races, a fifth-place effort in the Apr. 24 Wando S. in his lone try against open company. The chestnut swept four restricted stakes for Canadian 2-year-olds last year at distances ranging from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.
Dalos and Carroll will also be represented by 'TDN Rising Star' filly Gamble's Ghost (Ghostzapper), who takes on males for the first time. Capturing the GIII Selene S. here May 15, she then finished a hard-luck nose second in the Woodbine Oaks S. June 12. Breaking slowly that day, she encountered a world of traffic trouble on the far turn and still flew late to just miss behind longshot winner Neshama (Sligo Bay {Ire}).
Mark Casse sends out the up-and-coming Leavem in Malibu (Malibu Moon), a winner of back-to-back races who figures to only get better with distance. Owned by Gary Barber and Conrad Farms, the $175,000 KEENOV buy is out of a Danzig mare and has powered away strongly in the stretch in his last two. He also has been lighting up the worktab, breezing five furlongs in :58 2/5 (1/62) on this track June 11 and following it up by covering the same ground in :59 (1/36) June 18.
Dan Gale and Richard Hogan's Shakhimat (Lonhro {Aus}) dominated this track's Coronation Futurity S. wire-to-wire by 9 3/4 lengths Nov. 8 and showed his versatility with a turfy score in the GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland five months later. Caught up in a quick pace in the GII American Turf S. at Churchill May 7, the dark bay colt was no match for Amis Gizmo when second in the Plate Trial and figures to face a lot of pace pressure here.
Price plays worth considering include JMJ Racing Stables' All On Red (Hard Spun), who broke his maiden impressively Apr. 24 at Aqueduct for Michelle Nevin before finishing a narrow second in his local debut June 11, and West Point Thoroughbreds' Scholar Athlete (Einstein {Brz}), who ran his final five-sixteenths in :28.16 while capturing a Belmont grass optional claimer May 12. Chartwell Partners' Esposito (Ghostzapper) is also an interesting prospect, having run third in the live Springboard Mile S. Dec. 13 at Remington and easily taking his initial synthetic effort here June 15.
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