A celebration of racing in Canada, King’s Plate day offers a card full of stakes races and draws viewers worldwide. While the historic Canadian classic will receive the bulk of the attention, it is the excellent turf racing on Saturday which is the heart and soul of the afternoon at Woodbine. Leading the way among the day’s eight turf races is the Canadian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association for fillies and mares.

This year’s edition will be run on the inner turf course at a distance of 1 1/16 miles. The Grade 2 Canadian Stakes drew a field of seven and is headlined by a trio consisting of the U.S. stakes winner Proctor Street, the talented Woodbine-based Lupa, and Eponine, who has placed at the Grade/Group 2 level in both France and the U.S.

1. Lupa (3-1 morning-line odds): This speedy filly will return to turf after five consecutive starts on Woodbine’s all-weather Tapeta Footings main track. Bred for the grass, she won one of two on the lawn to begin her career. She looks sharp this year with two good efforts since returning from a layoff. Most recently, she just missed after setting all the pace in the Trillium Stakes Presented by Don Julio. If she moves up at all getting back to grass, she will be very dangerous here.

JOCKEY: Fraser Aebly; TRAINER: Josie Carroll

2. War Painter (20-1): The longest shot on the morning line, she is one of two in the race for top Canadian trainer Kevin Attard. A Canadian-bred who has never raced outside of the country, she will need to do better than her fifth-place finish in allowance company on the all-weather main track last time out. Perhaps a return to turf will help, but she deserves to be a longshot.

JOCKEY: Sahin Civaci; TRAINER: Kevin Attard

3. Awesomesauce (6-1): The late-running Union Rags filly comes into this test off her first stakes victory. Bred in Ohio, she unleashed a strong late run to earn the win last month at Belterra Park. This will be a step up in class, but she has proven she can compete outside her home state. If the pace is fast and contested on Saturday, it would help her chances.

JOCKEY: Jose Luis Campos; TRAINER: Joe Sharp

4. Eponine (5-2): An Irish-bred and a French import, the Tamayuz filly has finished first or second in nine career starts. Her first three starts in North America have all come at Saratoga. Third in the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes last summer, she has returned to the races with two very good performances in allowance company this year. In her third start of the layoff, she should be ready to fire her best shot on Saturday. She fits well here. 

JOCKEY: Rafael Hernandez; TRAINER: Kevin Attard

5. Queens Command (15-1): Bred in Ireland, this 7-year-old mare began her career in her native country before making her first start in North America in January 2024. She won an allowance race at Santa Anita Park that day, but has only won 1-of-14 starts since. There are some good efforts in there, but not so much recently. She is not without hope, but others appear better. 

JOCKEY: Eswan Flores; TRAINER: Katerina Vassilieva

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6. Proctor Street (2-1): The mare with the most proven class in the race, Proctor Street has kept good company throughout her 13-race career. A stakes winner late last fall at Churchill Downs, she is winless in five starts this season. Still, the Brendan Walsh-trainee has turned in several good performances in the five-race losing streak, placing in a trio of graded stakes. A return to the winner’s circle on Saturday would come as no surprise.

JOCKEY: Pietro Moran; TRAINER: Brendan Walsh

7. Power of Destiny (8-1): Top American rider John Velazquez stays on this English-bred mare after riding her to a solid third in a Saratoga allowance race Aug. 5. A winner at Woodbine two starts back, the daughter of Sea the Stars looks sharp and ready for a good performance here despite a short turnaround of 10 days. Look for her to be involved in the pace early from her outside post and have every chance as they turn for home. She is a live longshot.

JOCKEY: John Velazquez; TRAINER: James Begg

THE PICK: Eponine

LIVE LONGSHOT: Power of Destiny

SUPERFECTA: 4-6-7-1