150th Queens Plate Stakes
On Sunday, 21 June 2009, the Canadian horse racing society come together at the Woodbine Racecourse, for one of the most prestigious events on their racing calendar, the running of the 150th Queens Plate Stakes. In Canada, the Queens Plate Stakes is a large and glamorous event that is always well supported. With a purse of $1 million, this wonderful horse racing meeting also attracts some of the best three year old horses Canada has to offer, which guarantees an exciting and action packed event.
There were thirteen worthy competitors, all Canadian bred, in the starting gates on Sunday. As this event has been won more times by geldings than fillies, the favorites for the Woodbine Racecourse event were already selected long before the preparations for the Queens Plate Stakes were made. But no matter which horses were selected as favorites, it was to be a day of victory and celebration for Eye of the Leopard and Sam-Son Farms. This however does not change the fact that two very talented fillies set a great challenge and did not make it an easy win!
At first, the race was lead by Reservoir and his jockey Jim Mc Aleney, but was chased down all the way, by Mr Foricos Two U. The Polytrack surface saw to a very fast racing event, and it was not long before Mr Foricos Two U took over the leading position as Reservoir slow began to slow down and tire. But the filly, Milwaukee Appeal, was also not ready to let the race be taken without a fight, and began gaining ground as the race began to reach fever pitch with excitement. Eye of the Leopard had quietly been biding his time, and started challenging the leading competitors for a winning position. As the final strides of the Queens Plate Stakes came down on the Woodbine Racecourse, Eye of the Leopard won the event by a neck, with Mr Foricos Two U in second, Milwaukee Appeal finishing in third and the other spectacular filly, Tasty Temptation showing her worth against her male competitors in fourth. The Queens Plate Stakes once again saw spectators on their feet and competitors fighting for victory, all the way to the wire. And it is for this reason, that this annual event has remained a favorite with racing fans and horsemen.
