![\"(Left-Right)](\"https:\/\/woodbine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_6078-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>(Left-Right) Ryan Munger (Sedbury\u2019s Ghost), Pietro Moran (Mansetti) Michael Copeland (Woodbine Entertainment CEO), Leo Salles (Watsonville Red), Fraser Aebly (Notorious Gangster) (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\nThe\u00a0King\u2019s\u00a0Plate\u00a0festivities, including the post-position draw, were co-hosted by Woodbine TV personality\/commentator\/handicapper Jeff Bratt, Ignite World Racing host Mark McKelvie, and Woodbine race announcer Robert Geller, and held at Woodbine\u2019s Trackside Clubhouse. The event was attended by many of the race\u2019s connections, and included remarks from Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment.\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s edition of The\u00a0King\u2019s\u00a0Plate\u00a0once again showcases a mix of stakes winners and underdogs, along with prominent owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys. No Time will carry 121 pounds, while all other starters carry 126 pounds.<\/p>\n
No Time<\/strong>\u00a0arrives at the Plate off an outstanding win in the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois on July 20.<\/p>\n To be ridden again by John Velazquez, the daughter of Not This Time out of the Red Ransom mare Count to Three is 3-0-1 from eight starts for owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse \u2013 the jockey, owner and trainer won the 2018 Plate with filly Wonder Gadot<\/p>\n Bred by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt & Arika Everatt-Meeuse, No Time won her second start, a one-length triumph at 1 1\/16 miles over the E.P. Taylor turf, on September 14, 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has a heck of a pedigree,\u201d Casse noted. \u201cShe\u2019s by one of the best sires in the world and she\u2019s a half-sister to two Grade 1 winners. She has the pedigree to be any kind. I feel like she really has grown up and has gotten stronger and better as time goes on, which happens a lot of times when you have these great pedigrees.\u201d<\/p>\n Prince Parris is the groom.<\/p>\n A bay son of Karakontie (JPN) out of the Distorted Humor mare Certainly Special,\u00a0Ashley\u2019s Archer<\/strong>\u00a0is one of two (filly No Time is the other) Mark Casse trainees in this year\u2019s Plate.<\/p>\n The bay colt, 1-2-1 from seven starts, will contest his third stakes event when he goes into the gate for the Plate. He finished first, but was placed fifth, in last year\u2019s Cup and Saucer, and third, one month later, in the Coronation Futurity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got [Ashley\u2019s Archer] in Ocala, and he always impressed me,\u201d said Casse, a three-time winner of the Plate. \u201cHe always worked well. I think he\u2019s a nice horse. I don\u2019t think you\u2019ve seen his best yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Ashley\u2019s Archer is co-owned by Gary Barber and Archer Racing.<\/p>\n Archer Racing is owned by Jayson Horner and his daughter Courtney. Horner raced Ashely\u2019s Archer\u2019s half-brother Coltimus Prime who won the 2014 Prince of Wales Stakes.<\/p>\n Sahin Civaci, Canada\u2019s champion rider in 2024, gets the call.<\/p>\n Ivan Forde is the groom.<\/p>\n Dewolf\u00a0<\/strong>is one of three (Faber and Mansetti are the others) starters from the Kevin Attard barn.<\/p>\n To be ridden by Flavien Prat, who won the 2019 Plate with One Bad Boy, the dark bay colt is 2-3-1 from eight starts for owners X-Men Racing IV LLC, Canuck Racing Club, Madaket Stables LLC and SF Racing LLC.<\/p>\n Bred by BHMFR, LLC, Dewolf won last year\u2019s running of the Bull Page Stakes. The son of Silent Name (JPN) out of the Holy Bull mare Holy Cargo was runner-up in the 2024 editions of the Cup and Saucer, Grey Stakes (G3), and Coronation Futurity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have any reason to believe he can\u2019t get the distance,\u201d said Attard. \u201cHopefully, this is the day we see his best \u2013 he gets a clean trip and can capitalize on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Attard won the 2024 Plate with filly Caitlinhergrtness and the 2022 edition with filly Moira.<\/p>\n Beresford Lee is the groom.<\/p>\n Faber<\/strong>, also trained by Kevin Attard, is a son of Improbable out of the Into Mischief mare Disobedient.<\/p>\n Sporting a record of 1-2-1 from nine starts, the gelding is one of two (Mansetti is the other) hopefuls from owners Al and Bill Ulwelling.<\/p>\n Named after NHL star Brock Faber, the bay, bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. & 552727 Ontario LTD, will make his fourth appearance at the stakes level and first since a fourth in last year\u2019s Cup and Saucer.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt at all that he\u2019s a trier,\u201d praised Attard. \u201cHe\u2019s always been a game horse with ability. The hope is he can take all of his strengths and come up big in the Plate.\u201d<\/p>\n Faber, the hockey player, will be tuning in to see how his namesake fares.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to say it is very cool,\u201d the 22-year-old told NHLPA.com. \u201cAt first, I didn\u2019t know if it was just a coincidence. I guess I never thought a racehorse would be named after me.\u201d<\/p>\n Pietro Moran has been named on both Faber and Mansetti.<\/p>\n Donavon Buchannon is the groom.<\/p>\n Named after a popular pizza place in the Ulwellings\u2019 home state of Minnesota,\u00a0Mansetti\u00a0<\/strong>is 4-0-0 from seven starts.<\/p>\n A bay son of Collected out of the Sky Mesa mare Gidget Girl, the colt, bred in Ontario by Jungle Racing, LLC, notched stakes scores in last year\u2019s Clarendon, as well as victories in this year\u2019s Woodstock Stakes on April 27 and the Marine Stakes (G3) on June 28.<\/p>\n Trained by Kevin Attard, Mansetti breezed four furlongs in :47.60 over the Woodbine main track on August 9.<\/p>\n \u201cVery happy with his breezes coming into the race,\u201d said Attard. \u201cJust like his stablemates, he has the talent and tenacity to show up with a big one on Saturday.\u201d\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n Lawrence Williams is the groom.<\/p>\n Trained by Danny Gargan for owner Reeves Thoroughbred Racing,\u00a0Mythical Man<\/strong>\u00a0is 2-0-0 from four career starts.<\/p>\n Out of the Ghostzapper mare Park Lane, the bay gelding broke his maiden last October at Belmont at the Big A and followed it up with another score two months later at Gulfstream.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be our first time running on synthetic, but he\u2019s run well on the turf,\u201d noted Gargan. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping he likes it.\u201d<\/p>\n The son of Mucho Macho Man, bred by Adena Springs, will be ridden by two-time Sovereign Award winner (top apprentice) Sofia Vives.<\/p>\n Violate Chajon is the groom.<\/p>\n Notorious Gangster<\/strong>, trained by Hall of Fame conditioner and three-time Plate winner Josie Carroll for owner and breeder Mark Dodson, has been a model of consistency over seven starts, crafting a 3-2-1 mark, along with $252,770 in purse earnings.<\/p>\n The son of Classic Empire out of the Verrazano mare Sister Nova won last year\u2019s Coronation Futurity and this year\u2019s Queenston Stakes. The dark bay was also runner-up in this year\u2019s Woodstock Stakes and Plate Trial.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a very uncomplicated horse,\u201d\u00a0said Carroll, of Notorious Gangster, who will be ridden by rising star Fraser Aebly.\u00a0\u201cThe one thing that he shares with the horses that I have been successful with in the Plate is that he has a very good mind. He\u2019s very level-headed. And I think that\u2019s a really important trait on a day like King\u2019s Plate Day when there\u2019s a huge crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n Victor James is the groom.<\/p>\n Supplemented to the race for $25,000,\u00a0Runaway Again<\/strong>, trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Sid Attard, heads into the Plate off one start, an eye-catching 9 \u00bc-length romp over 1 1\/16 miles on July 13.<\/p>\n Bred and owned by Adena Springs, the son of Hard Spun out of the Storm Cat mare Golden Venus has had a steady work tab, including a five-furlong breeze in :59.40 over the Woodbine main track on July 27.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a high-strung horse,\u201d said Attard. \u201cHe\u2019s always feeling good, and he\u2019s kind of still green, but he gets better every day. He\u2019s not a very big horse, but he\u2019s strong.\u201d<\/p>\n Javier Castellano, who was second in the 2019 Plate with Avie\u2019s Flatter, gets the call.<\/p>\n Joseph Farris is the groom.<\/p>\n Scorching<\/strong>, owned by Paul Braverman and Timoty Pinch, has produced a mark of 2-2-1 from five career starts.<\/p>\n Out of the Consolidator mare Samsal, the dark bay won last year\u2019s Simcoe Stakes and Cup and Saucer (second, elevated to first through disqualification).<\/p>\n The son of Mo Town was second in this year\u2019s Marine Stakes (G3) and third in the Plate Trial Stakes on July 20.<\/p>\n Trained by John Charalambous, Scorching was bred by Huntington Stud Farm Corp. \u200b<\/p>\n \u201cAfter his first race, it was very impressive, and he improved each time he ran last year and this year,\u201d said Charalambous. \u201cAfter his first start, he just seemed to grasp everything very well and showed that he could be a better-than-average colt.\u201d<\/p>\n Jose Lezcano gets the mount.<\/p>\n Sandy Hartsgrove is the groom.<\/p>\n Sedburys Ghost<\/strong>, bred and owned by Yawen Wu, heads into the Plate off an impressive victory in the Plate Trial on July 20.<\/p>\n Under the tutelage of champion trainer Barb Minshall, the son of 2015 Plate winner Shaman Ghost out of the Sligo Bay (IRE) mare Hurricane Mimi has fashioned a record of 3-0-1 from five starts.<\/p>\n To be ridden by Ryan Munger, the chestnut gelding has won three of his past four starts.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was a high-strung horse \u2013 not bad-acting, just very good-feeling as a 2-year-old, but he has settled down,\u201d said Minshall. \u201cHe has matured a whole lot. He was extremely calm and professional in the paddock for the Plate Trial. Generally, horses that get better all the time keep improving. It\u2019s a good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n Dexter Brathwaite is the groom.<\/p>\n Owned by CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing, and trained by Michael Stidham,\u00a0Tom\u2019s Magic<\/strong>\u00a0comes into his first appearance outside of the U.S. off a 1 \u00bd-length win in the Tale of the Cat Stakes (1 1\/16 miles over the turf) on June 28 at Monmouth Park.<\/p>\n Bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry, the son of Justify out of the Rahy mare Dixie Chicken is 3-1-0 from five starts.<\/p>\n \u201cI like the horse a lot,\u201d said Stidham. \u201cHe\u2019s done things the right way. I think he\u2019s had a good preparation coming up to this race. I think we\u2019re in there with a really live chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Rafael Hernandez, who has won three Plates, including last year with Caitlinhergrtness, will be in the irons on Saturday.<\/p>\n Reyes Gutierrez is the regular groom. Renee Kierans is the groom at Woodbine.<\/p>\n Watsonville Red<\/strong>, owned by John and Diana Russell, is 1-0-0 from eight starts.<\/p>\n The late-closing son of Hard Spun, who was fourth in the Plate Trial Stakes on July 20, broke his maiden in his second start of 2025, a 28-1 victory at 1 1\/16 miles over the Woodbine main track.<\/p>\n Bred by Adena Springs, Watsonville Red is trained by multiple graded stakes winning conditioner Mike De Paulo, who won his 1,000th career race this March at Gulfstream Park.<\/p>\n \u201cI think his strength is that he\u2019s a stayer,\u201d said De Paulo. \u201cIf you have a Canadian-bred, who is fit, happy and can run long, you\u2019ve got a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Leo Salles gets the call aboard the bay gelding out of the Awesome Again mare Ice Festival.<\/p>\n Joseph De Paulo is the groom.<\/p>\n Trained by Don MacRae for owner Michael Lay,\u00a0William T\u00a0<\/strong>comes into the $1 million classic off a six-length, maiden-breaking score at 1 1\/16 miles over the Woodbine main track on July 13.<\/p>\n Bred by Anderson Farms (Ontario) Inc., the son of Frosted out of the Hard Spun mare Upper Brass is 1-1-2 from four starts.<\/p>\n \u201cHis first start as a 2-year-old was solid \u2013 he showed ability,\u201d said MacRae. \u201cOver the winter, he went through a stage where he went from looking like a boy to looking like a grown man. From 2 to 3, he has really grown up. He is a very big, stunning horse now.\u201d<\/p>\n To be ridden by David Moran, who was second with Riptide Rock in the 2021 Plate, William T will make his stakes debut on Saturday.<\/p>\n Diego Kellman is the groom.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s\u00a0card\u00a0also features a quintet of stakes: the (G1T) $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (Breeders\u2019 Cup Challenge Series \u201cWin and You\u2019re In,\u201d fillies & mares, 3-year-olds & up, 1 \u00bc miles), $200,000 bet365\u00a0King\u00a0Edward (G2T) (one mile on the E.P. Taylor turf for 3-year-olds and up), (G3) $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes (6 \u00bd furlongs on the main track for 3-year-olds and up), $150,000 bet365 Soaring Free (6 \u00bd furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-olds) and the $150,000 Catch a Glimpse (6 \u00bd furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-old fillies).<\/p>\n First post for Saturday is 12:45 p.m. (ET), with the featured\u00a0King\u2019s\u00a0Plate\u00a0scheduled as\u00a0Race 9 (5:34 p.m. ET).\u00a0The national\u00a0Plate\u00a0broadcast will be televised on Sportsnet ONE and Citytv from 4-6 p.m. ET.\u00a0\u200b\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n Biographies for each King\u2019s Plate contender can be found here:\u00a0woodbine.com\/blog\/166th-kings-plate-media-guide\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>No Time and jockey John Velazquez after winning the Woodbine Oaks on July 20, 2025 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n<\/a>Dewolf preparing for the 166th King\u2019s Plate at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n<\/a>Faber preparing for the 166th King\u2019s Plate at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n<\/a>Notorious Gangster and jockey Fraser Aebly winning the Queenston Stakes on June 8, 2025 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n<\/a>Scorching and jockey Patrick Husbands winning the Cup and Saucer Stakes on October 6, 2024 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n<\/a>Sedburys Ghost and jockey Ryan Munger winning the Plate Trial Stakes on July 20, 2025 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n<\/a>William T and jockey Fraser Aebly winning Race 5 on July 13, 2025 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)<\/p>\n