Despite rearing at the jump, it was My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) who got up in good order to take the Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday afternoon.
This effort was the third stakes win in a row for the grey, who has proven nearly unbeatable at his hometrack–having not won just twice in seven jumps at Woodbine, on debut in May 2023, when he ran second and last September in the GI Summer Stakes on the grass when he again played bridesmaid. He ran a respectable third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 3 at Santa Anita, and had the worst finish of his career Apr. 7 in his 2024 bow when he ran eighth in the Palisades Stakes at Keeneland.
Last year's Canadian champion 2-year-old colt, who was backed at the windows heavily here to the tune of 1-5 by the time the gates opened, left those supporters briefly sweating when he reared at the jump and lost his path. Keen to improve his spot heading into the first bend and able to tuck into cover while racing from third, he stalked Friendly Ghost (Outwork) as that one set a pressured, albeit tepid, pace with Piper's Factor (The Factor) glued to his hip.
Despite the :25.11, :49.51 and 1:13.23 fractions, My Boy Prince had work to do when jockey Sahin Civaci expressed some urgency to get going passing the five-sixteenths marker but he was moving well from his four path. Rolling under a full head of steam by midstretch, My Boy Prince edged clear by the sixteenth pole and was 1 1/4 lengths best over late closing Rafaroo (Hard Spun). Friendly Ghost held on to third.
“Today, he broke a little badly, but he pulled through,” said Civaci. “It is a little worrisome if they get away from you, but the pace was going a little easy and he has tactical speed.”
“I didn't mind him sitting off the pace today because The King's Plate [Aug. 17] is going to be a lot of horses, and anything can happen. Sometimes, you can't be on the lead, so I wanted to see him relax a bit.”
My Boy Prince, who was the sale topper at the CTHS Ontario Canadian Premier Yearling sale, is the second foal to the races for stakes-winning Hopping Not Hoping, whose most recent of racing age is 2-year-old Athlete (Kitten's Joy), who had been exported to England last year. She has a 2024 Classic Empire filly to her credit this season. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
👑 #5 MY BOY PRINCE ($2.50) recovers from a slow start to win the $150,000 Plate Trial at @woodbinetb. The three-year-old son of @AirdrieStud's Cairo Prince has won three consecutive stakes. @SahinCivaci was in the irons for trainer @markecasse and owner Gary Barber. pic.twitter.com/kRpHd3b86q
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 20, 2024
PLATE TRIAL S., C$150,000, Woodbine, 7-20, (C), 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:51.12, ft.
1–MY BOY PRINCE, 126, c, 3, by Cairo Prince
1st Dam: Hopping Not Hoping (SW), by Silent Name (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Delray Beach, by Harlan's Holiday
3rd Dam: Matter of Law, by Matter of Honor
(C$115,000 Ylg '22 CANSEP). O-Gary Barber; B-Murray Graham Smith (ON); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Sahin Civaci. C$90,000. Lifetime Record: 10-6-2-1, $605,529.
2–Rafaroo, 126, c, 3, Hard Spun–Light Green, by Pleasantly Perfect. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Stronach Stables; B-Adena Springs (ON); T-Harold Ladouceur. C$30,000.
3–Friendly Ghost, 126, g, 3, Outwork–Kin's Ghost, by Ghostzapper. (C$46,000 Ylg '22 CANSEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Sue Leslie; B-Phoenix Rising Farms (ON); T-Evette Chartrand-Hoek. C$16,500.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.25, 26.70, 15.40.
Also Ran: Piper's Factor, Jokestar, No More Options, Beautiful Sky.
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