Trainer Josie Carroll, the only female trainer to win the Queen’s Plate, will be gunning for a third victory in the ‘Gallop for the Guineas’ when she saddles Melnyk Racing Stables’ lightly-raced Wilcox on Sunday.
She announced on Wednesday morning that her bay colt will be ridden by Tyler Pizarro.
Carroll first won the Plate with longshot Edenwold in 2006, then last year, directed Inglorious to a Sovereign Award-winning campaign as Canada’s top three-year-old filly, winning both the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen’s Plate with the Donver Stable star.
This year, she is hoping Wilcox, a Eugene Melnyk homebred by Giant’s Causeway-Checker Hall, can spring an upset.
“I think it would be a mistake not to try this horse (in the Plate),” said Carroll. “I know he’ll go the distance. He’s comfortable enough on the surface (Polytrack). We’ll see if he’s good enough, but he’s definitely a horse who will get the trip. And that’s nine-tenths of it, getting the mile and one-quarter. If things set up the right way, this horse is going to be running at them. I wouldn’t be going if I didn’t think I had a live horse.”
Melnyk will have two chances to win the Plate this year. His other silk-bearer is Golden Ridge, trained by Mark Casse. Melnyk won the 1998 Plate with Archers Bay, a colt he co-owned with R. Bristow Farm.
“DRAFT” DRAW TO BE USED FOR PLATE
The “draft” style post position selection process will be utilized for the 153rd running of the Queen’s Plate.
The draft draw, first utilized for the 1998 edition of the Plate, allows the owners and trainers of each runner in the race to choose their horse’s post position.
The order of selection will be established by a random draw that is identical to the “pill pull” method used to determine Plate post positions before 1998.
After the selection sequence is drawn, owners and trainers will have a five minute consultation period to discuss their choice.
The “connections” will then, in order of the random draw, announce their post position selection.
MARK TEWKSBURY, HONOURARY DRAWMASTER FOR PLATE
Mark Tewksbury, Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, is the honourary drawmaster for this year’s Queen’s Plate Post Position breakfast draw, Thursday at Woodbine.
He will assist in determining the post position draft order and speak briefly of his participation in horse racing at the 9:30 a.m. media conference.
QUEEN’S PLATE DRAW AVAILABLE LIVE ON WEBSITE
A reminder that Thursday’s Queen’s Plate morning draw from the Woodbine walking ring will be streamed live at www.queensplate.com. Further information and event details for Plate day are available there.
WEATHER FORECAST
Ideal weather conditions are expected for Queen’s Plate day in Toronto. The forecast is sunny skies, with a high of 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit).
PROBABLE FIELD FOR THE 153RD QUEEN’S PLATE (14)
| Horse | Owner | Trainer | Jockey |
| Big Creek | Green Hills Farm Inc. | Todd Pletcher | Ramon Dominguez |
| Classic Bryce | Bill Sorokolit | Darwin Banach | Todd Kabel |
| Colleen’s Sailor | Terra Di Sienna Stables | Roger Attfield | Corey Nakatani |
| Dixie Strike | John Oxley | Mark Casse | Patrick Husbands |
| Golden Ridge | Melnyk Racing Stables Inc. | Mark Casse | Luis Contreras |
| Irish Mission | Robert Evans | Mark Frostad | Alex Solis |
| Macho Whiskey | Harlequin Ranches | Reade Baker | Emma-Jayne Wilson |
| Making Amends | Quintessential Racing Fla., et al | Mark Casse | Eurico Rosa da Silva |
| Peyton | Windhaven | Mike Doyle | Julien Leparoux |
| River Rush | Stronach Stables | Reade Baker | Jim McAleney |
| Strait of Dover | Canyon Farms | Dan Vella | Justin Stein |
| Ultimate Destiny | Brenda Selwyn-Waxman | Mike Keogh | Steven Bahen |
| Washington Dash | Silverton Hill LLC | Darrin Miller | Rajiv Maragh |
| Wilcox | Melnyk Racing Stables Inc. | Josie Carroll | Tyler Pizarro |