The racing spotlight in North America will point north to Woodbine at 5:34 p.m. ET Aug. 16 for the $1 million King’s Plate, the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown as well as that country’s oldest Thoroughbred horse race.

Founded in 1860, the King’s Plate is the oldest continuously run race in North America.

Held as the Queen’s Plate from 1952 to 2022 in honor of then-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II, the race was renamed the King’s Plate for 2023 after the accession of King Charles III following his mother’s passing.

Twelve horses have swept the Canadian Triple Crown races (although the Triple Crown was not officially established until 1959), which is comprised of the King’s/Queen’s Plate, Prince of Wales Stakes, and Breeders’ Stakes: Queensway (1932), Archworth (1939), Uttermost (1945), Ace Marine (1955), Canadian Champ (1956), New Providence (1959), Canebora (1963), With Approval (1989), Izvestia (1990), Dance Smartly (1991), Peteski (1993), and Wando (2003). Queensway and Dance Smartly are two of the 39 fillies to prevail in the Queen’s Plate, with the most recent female winner being Caitlinhergrtness last year.

America’s Best Racing will be on-site at Woodbine for “King's Plate Live!” This action-packed show is hosted by Dan Tordjman, Rachel Miller, and Alexa Zepp and will feature special guests throughout offering gambling analysis and lifestyle commentary during Woodbine’s festive day. “King's Plate Live!” starts at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET and will stream on ABR’s Facebook, X, and YouTube channels. Additionally, all of the action from Woodbine will be broadcast on FanDuel TV.

Let’s take a closer look at the prospective field for this year’s race with contenders listed in alphabetical order until post positions are drawn later this week.

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1. Mansetti (10-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Pietro Moran

Trainer: Kevin Attard

Owners: Al and Bill Ulwelling

Career record: 7 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $255,691

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 96

Pedigree: Collected – Gidget Girl, by Sky Mesa

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Analysis: Mansetti looks like the best of three entrants for two-time King’s Plate-winning trainer Kevin Attard after prepping for the classic with a one-length win in the Grade 3 HPIbet Marine Stakes June 28 at Woodbine. Two starts before the Marine, Mansetti earned a new career-top Equibase Speed Figure (96) for winning the Woodstock Stakes. In between the two stakes wins, he was unplaced in the Queenston Stakes after his jockey lost an iron at the start and cost him valuable early position. He’s 4-for-6 lifetime on all-weather surfaces and also was a stakes winner as a 2-year-old, so there’s much to like about this Collected colt. The 1 ¼-mile distance is a question, as it is for most of the King’s Plate contenders, but Mansetti looks like a bona-fide win candidate for a trainer who won this race in 2022 with Moira and last year with Caitlinhergrtness. Jockey Pietro Moran was also named to ride the Kevin Attard-trained Faber; a decision on which 3-year-old he will ride will be made later this week.

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2. William T (20-1)

Jockey: David Moran

Trainer: Donald MacRae

Owners: Michael Lay

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $66,944

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 88

Pedigree: Frosted – Upper Brass, by Hard Spun

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: This Frosted colt finished in the top-three in each of his first three races (two sprints) before visiting the winner’s circle for the first time after his most recent start, a six-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race July 13 on the all-weather main track at Woodbine. William T will face a major test in terms of class in his stakes debut in the $1 million King’s Plate but it’s not a stretch to believe he can at least be competitive. His speed figures indicate he fits in the race, he enters off an eye-catching win, and he’s never run a poor race. Make no mistake, William T will be a longshot in the King’s Plate but he does not appear to be overmatched on paper.

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3. Notorious Gangster (9-2)

Jockey: Fraser Aebly

Trainer: Josie Carroll

Owner: Mark Dodson

Career record: 7 starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $252,770

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 87

Pedigree: Classic Empire – Sister Nova, by Verrazano

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Analysis: This multiple stakes winner finished second as the 9-5 favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial Stakes July 20 on the all-weather main track at Woodbine. A deep closer, Notorious Gangster rallied from last of nine and passed six horses in the final three-eighths of a mile in the Plate Trial but could not reel in winner Sedburys Ghost despite a swift early pace to set up his closing rally. The Classic Empire colt has never been worse than third in six races on all-weather tracks and is both consistent and proven at this level. The lack of speed in the King’s Plate is a concern given his off-the-pace running style, but Notorious Gangster should be passing horses and doing his best running late in the Woodbine stretch. Trainer Josie Carroll has won the King’s Plate three times with Edenwold (2006), Inglorious (2011), and Mighty Heart (2020).

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4. Scorching (10-1)

Jockey: Jose Lezcano

Trainer: John Charalambous

Owners: Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $248,117

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 90

Pedigree: Mo Town – Samsal, by Consolidator

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: Scorching has never run a bad race in his life with two stakes wins and five top-three finishes in as many starts. He’s versatile enough to win a stakes sprinting an all-weather surface while setting the pace and to prevail from off the pace in 1 1/16-mile turf stakes, both as a 2-year-old. In two races this year, the Mo Town colt rallied to finish second by a length to Mansetti in the 1 1/16-mile HPIbet Marine Stakes June 28 on the all-weather main track at Woodbine and then led in the stretch of the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial Stakes before fading to finish third. His tactical speed should be a valuable asset in a King’s Plate that lacks a ton of pace and he adds a heady rider in Jose Lezcano, who should have him in position to strike entering the stretch.

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5. Mythical Man (50-1)

Jockey: Sofia Vives

Trainer: Danny Gargan

Owner: Reeves Thoroughbred Racing

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $67,380

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Pedigree: Mucho Macho Man – Park Lane, by Ghostzapper

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/press the pace

Analysis: Trainer Danny Gargan ships this Mucho Macho Man gelding north after an unplaced finish in his season debut in the Grade 3 Manila Stakes on the grass at Saratoga Race Course July 4. The Manila came against a very good field following a layoff of seven months, so Mythical Man probably needed the race after closing his 2-year-old campaign with back-to-back wins on the grass at Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park. The 91 Equibase Speed Figure earned for his 2 ¼-length win in a one-mile allowance-optional claiming in December at Gulfstream indicates he’s fast enough to be competitive in the King’s Plate if he handles the surface switch for his first try on an all-weather track.

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6. Faber (30-1)

Jockey: Pietro Moran 

Trainer: Kevin Attard

Owners: Al and Bill Ulwelling

Career record: 9 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $84,072

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 97

Pedigree: Improbable – Disobedient, by Into Mischief

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Analysis: Faber was unplaced in three stakes attempts in 2024, one on the turf and two on the all-weather main track at Woodbine, but has shown signs of improvement as a 3-year-old with his best three Equibase Speed Figures coming in his last three races. He earned a career-top 97 speed figure for a runner-up finish in an allowance-optional claiming race going a mile at Turfway Park in March and then was second again in a 1 1/16-mile race at the same level May 31 at Woodbine. He encountered some trouble in his final King’s Plate prep race when fourth and beaten by 2 ¾ lengths, but Faber looks like a good bet to outrun his odds for trainer Kevin Attard, who has won two of the last three editions of the race with Moira (2022) and Caitlinhergrtness (2024). Jockey Pietro Moran was also named to ride the Kevin Attard-trained Mansetti; a decision on which 3-year-old he will ride will be made later this week.

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7. Runaway Again (12-1)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Sid Attard

Owner: Stronach Stables

Career record: 1 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $39,698

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 84

Pedigree: Hard Spun – Golden Venus, by Storm Cat

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: Runway Again makes his stakes debut in the King’s Plate with just one start on his résumé for trainer Sid Attard and owner-breeder Stronach Stables. The Hard Spun gelding closed from last to first and romped by 9 ¼ lengths in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race July 13 on the all-weather main track at Woodbine, dominating despite a troubled start. It was an exceptional debut for a racehorse with a big pedigree as his dam (mother), Golden Venus, is a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to Adena Springs’ 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and foundation stallion Awesome Again as well as 2000 U.S. champion 2-year-old male Macho Uno. Stronach Stables is seeking its fifth King’s Plate win after victories with Basqueian (1994), Awesome Again (1997), Shaman Ghost (2015), and Holy Helena (2017).

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8. Dewolf (30-1)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Kevin Attard

Owners: X-Men Racing IV, Canuck Racing Club, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing

Career record: 8 starts – 2 wins – 3 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $184,531

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 87

Pedigree: Silent Name – Holy Cargo, by Holy Bull

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: Dewolf is one of three King’s Plate hopefuls trained by Kevin Attard, a winner of two of the last three editions of the race with Moira (2022) and Caitlinhergrtness (2024). Dewolf was a stakes winner on the grass as a 2-year-old and multiple stakes-placed in two-turn races on the all-weather surface last November. The Silent Name colt has not carried that success into his 3-year-old season, however, finishing 7 ¼ lengths behind fellow King’s Plate contender Notorious Gangster in the Queenston Stakes in June and then a well-beaten sixth in the Plate Trial Stakes in July. Dewolf is eligible to take a step forward in his third start of the year after an extended layoff, but he would need to not only regain his top form in the King’s Plate but better his best efforts from a year ago to be a win candidate. He picks up the services of 2024 Eclipse Award winning jockey Flavien Prat, winner of the 2019 edition of this race with One Bad Boy, and a top-three finish is not out of the question. Co-owners X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing won the King’s Plate in 2022 with Moira.

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9. Watsonville Red (50-1)

Jockey: Leo Salles

Trainer: Mike De Paulo

Owners: John Russell and Diana Russell

Career record: 8 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $50,933

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 85

Pedigree: Hard Spun – Ice Festival, by Awesome Again

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis:  Watsonville Red needed six tries to earn his first career win, breaking through May 16 at Woodbine in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race on the all-weather main track. Trainer Mike De Paulo then tried the Hard Spun gelding out of graded stakes winner Ice Festival, by Awesome Again, in a pair of stakes races. He made little impression when seventh in the HPIbet Marine Stakes in June and was beaten by six lengths when fourth most recently in the Plate Trial Stakes. This is a tall task for Watsonville Red, whose May victory was the lone top-three finish of his career, but he’s a closer who could pass some horses late for a minor award with the right pace setup.

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10. No Time (7-2)

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Mark Casse

Owner: Gary Barber

Career record: 8 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $324,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 94

Pedigree: Not This Time – Count to Three, by Red Ransom

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Analysis: Fillies have fared quite well historically in the King’s Plate with 39 wins in the Canadian classic, including four of the last eight runnings, and No Time is the lone female runner entered in this year’s edition. She enters off a 3 ¾-length runaway win in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois at 1 1/8 miles on this all-weather main track at Woodbine and figures to get a dream trip on the lead or tucked in just behind the pace in a race devoid of speed. Trainer Mark Casse and owner Gary Barber have teamed to win this race three times with Lexie Lou (2014), Wonder Gadot (2018), and Paramount Prince (2023) and look to have a great chance to increase that total to four with No Time, a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to Grade 1 winners Count Again and Ransom the Moon. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez earned his lone win in the race on Wonder Gadot.

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11. Tom’s Magic (5-1)

Jockey: Rafael Hernandez

Trainer: Michael Stidham

Owners: CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing

Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $172,650

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Pedigree: Justify – Dixie Chicken, by Rahy

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker/closer

Analysis: Trainer Mike Stidham ships Tom’s Magic north from his Delaware Park base to Woodbine after the Justify colt won the Tale of the Cat Stakes June 28 at Monmouth Park. Tom’s Magic has made all five of his starts to date on the grass in two-turn races, so distance should not be a question but the surface switch to the all-weather main track at Woodbine will be a new variable. He’s won three of his last four races with the lone blemish in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select when a troubled start severely compromised his chances. The surface switch is the key hurdle for this contender, who is a multiple stakes winner around two turns with strong speed figures and tactical speed. Tom’s Magic also is a half-brother (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to 2018 Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon and will be ridden by Rafael Hernandez, a winner of three editions of the race, including two of the last three.

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12. Sedburys Ghost (6-1)

Jockey: Ryan Munger

Trainer: Barbara Minshall

Owner: Yawen Wu

Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $153,457

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 86

Pedigree: Shaman Ghost – Hurricane Mimi, by Sligo Bay

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: After rallying for fourth in the 1 1/16-mile HPIbet Marine Stakes June 28, Sedburys Ghost delivered a breakout performance on the all-weather main track at Woodbine in the Plate Trial Stakes. He rallied from sixth with a visually impressive surge and powered clear to win by 1 ¼ lengths under jockey Ryan Munger. The Marine Stakes was his first attempt at stretching out in distance after winning a pair of sprints, and Sedburys Ghost looked much better in the Plate Trial with the additional two-turn experience and gave no impression he would have trouble navigating an additional eighth of a mile for the King’s Plate. Sedburys Ghost figures to be one of the favorites and a legitimate win candidate in the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown.

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13. Ashley’s Archer (12-1)

Jockey: Sahin Civaci

Trainer: Mark Casse

Owners: Gary Barber and Archer Racing

Career record: 7 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $81,328

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 96

Pedigree: Karakontie – Certainly Special, by Distorted Humor

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Analysis: Stakes-placed on the all-weather surface at Woodbine as a 2-year-old, Ashley’s Archer started his 2025 campaign on the dirt for U.S. and Canadian Hall of Fame Trainer Mark Casse. He was beaten by five lengths or more in his two tries on dirt but fared much better with a return to the all-weather main track at Woodbine, finishing second by a neck in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race July 13. He opened a clear lead in the stretch but was caught late in that race while earning a career-best 96 Equibase Speed Figure. The lack of late punch is a concern as Ashley’s Archer must navigate another three-sixteenths of a mile in the 1 ¼-mile King’s Plate. Ashley’s Archer is a half-brother (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to 2014 Canadian classic winner Coltimus Prime. Co-owner Gary Barber has won this race three times with Lexie Lou (2014), Wonder Gadot (2018), and Paramount Prince (2023), the last of the three in partnership with Michael Langlois and all three trained by Casse.

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