Eye of the Leopard Wins 150th Queen's Plate
Sam-Son Colt Beats Mr. Fouricos Two U, Milwaukee Appeal Third
Jun 21, 2009
“We had some spirits up above cheering this horse home,” said owner/breeder Rick Balaz of Sam-Son Farm. His wife, Tammy Samuels-Balaz, had run Sam-Son after the death of her father, Ernie, in 2000. Balaz took over the famous breeding and racing establishment when Tammy died of cancer in January 2008. Eye of the Leopard was named by Tammy’s mother, Elizabeth Samuels, who passed away in March 2008.
Fifth Queen’s Plate Win For Sam-Son Farm
This was the fifth Queen’s Plate win for Sam-Son and the fourth for trainer Mark Frostad, but jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva was on his first Plate winner.
Da Silva, a fan favourite at Woodbine, wept tears of joy as he made his way back to the winner’s circle aboard Eye of the Leopard.
“He’s a beautiful horse,” the Brazilian rider who now calls Woodbine home told Woodbine commentator Renee Kierans. “He just got the job done. I’m the happiest man in the world.”
The Queen’s Plate is the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America. It is for 3-year-olds foaled in Canada and is run at 1-1/4 miles over Woodbine’s synthetic Polytrack. It is the first leg in Canada’s Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing.
The winning horse, who went off as the favourite after winning the Plate Trial Stakes, is a bay son of A.P. Indy and out of Woodbine Oaks winner and champion Eye of the Sphinx. She is a homebred by another Sam-Son horse, Smart Strike, and out of stakes-winning mare Queen of Egypt, by Vice Regent. Eye of the Leopard earned nearly $600,000 of the total purse of $1-million. Smart Strike is also the broodmare sire of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
Fillies Finished Third and Fourth in Queen’s Plate
Fillies have done well in the Queen’s Plate, winning 33 times and often finishing in the top three. Last year, Ginger Brew narrowly lost to Not Bourbon. This year, Oaks winner Milwaukee Appeal made a late rush but couldn’t catch Mr. Fouricos Two U. The flashy chestnut son of Porto Fouricos—Song Spring, by Dauphin Fabuleux led for much of the race, setting easy fractions of :24 and :48. He seemed a sure winner as the filly tried to catch him on the outside, but both were passed by Eye of the Leopard in the final few yards. The other filly, Tasty Temptation, was fourth. The final time was 2:03-4/5.
Jockey Mike Smith said Mr. Fouricos Two U saw the filly coming, but didn’t spot the other colt until it was too late for him to rally.
“It was a gallant effort,” he said of the Catherine Day-Phillips trainee. The colt is owned by Frank Annecchini & D'Alimonte Holdings Inc. and bred by Rocco D'Alimonte.
Toronto-born Stewart Elliott rode Milwaukee Appeal ( Milwaukee Brew—Appealing Forum, by Open Forum), who was boxed in during her stretch run but made a strong bid once she found racing room. She finished a head back in third. The bay filly is trained by Scott Fairlie and owned and bred by C.E.C. Farms.
The rest of the field, in order, included Tasty Temptation, Flip For the Coin, Keino West (who recovered from an awkward start to be sixth), Shut It Down, Rapid Release, the maiden Stardust Ziggy, Bucephalus, previously undefeated Reservoir, Active Duty and El Brujo.
Two earlier contenders, My Bad and Southdale, were injured before the Plate. Another prospect, Square Eddie, was hurt in April and has not raced since.
The next leg of the Triple Crown is the Prince of Wales Stakes, to be held on the dirt at Fort Erie Racetrack at a distance of 1-3/16 miles on July 12.
For a video and photos of the 150th Queen’s Plate, go to the official Woodbine Racetrack site.
