Last year, Canadian Hall of Famer trainer Josie Carroll told co-owner Andrew Rosen she believed their promising 2-year-old filly Luster would take the connections into the winner's circle in 2026 with a victory in the 167th King's Plate Stakes, the historic first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

On Aug. 15 at Woodbine, Carroll and Luster made good on that prediction. The Knicks Go filly dusted 10 Canadian-bred 3-year-old males and another 3-year-old filly in the Canadian $1 million race, winning by 7 1/4 lengths under jockey John Velazquez. Luster became the 40th filly to win the King's Plate, the oldest continuously run horse race in North America.

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"I've been in the business over 40 years, and winning a race like this is just fantastic," added Rosen, who owns Luster with Gainesway Stable.

Military Time finished back in second, three lengths ahead of Fire and Wine who held on for the show.

Luster's performance and margin of victory conjured memories of Canadian Horse of the Year Moira, whose seven-length triumph in the 2022 Plate for trainer Kevin Attard signaled her elite potential. A couple of years later, Moira would win the 2024 Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in a victory that propelled her to an Eclipse Award as outstanding female turf horse.

Moira's connections chose to forgo running her in the subsequent legs of the Canadian Triple Crown —- the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes going 1 3/16 miles on the dirt at Fort Erie and the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes going 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Woodbine. Instead. Moira switched to competing in graded stakes versus open company.

Twelve horses have swept the series since the Canadian Triple Crown was formalized in 1959, though none since Wando in 2003 have won all three races.

Carroll won her fourth Plate coming 20 years after her first Plate win with Edenwold. She indicated Luster might be given a short break, meaning that a quick return in the Sept. 7 Prince of Wales Stakes is unlikely. One alternative that allows for a short freshening is the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Oct. 10 on the grass at Keeneland.

"That has certainly been a race that's been tentatively on our radar," Carroll said.

All six of Luster's races have come on Tapeta or turf, resulting in five victories and one third-place finish. She won over the Keeneland turf in an allowance race this spring.