Wonder Gadot became the first Oaklawn Park-raced horse in 13 years to win the Queen's Plate Stakes, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.
One of two fillies in the large field, Wonder Gadot captured the $1 million race for 3-year-olds by 4 3/4 lengths under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. She had run second, beaten by a nose, in Oaklawn's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies, the Grade 3 $400,000 Fantasy Stakes, on April 13.
Wild Desert, in 2005, won the Queen's Plate after finishing eighth in the then Grade 2 $1 million Arkansas Derby.
Wonder Gadot, who ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.26 over an all-weather surface, paid $6.40 as the 2-1 favorite in the 16-horse field. She surpassed $1 million in earnings with her third career stakes victory.
Wonder Gadot is by Medaglia d'Oro, who broke his maiden at the 2002 Oaklawn meeting for four-time Oaklawn training champion David Vance before returning to Hot Springs the following year to win the then Grade 2 $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap for Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel.
Wonder Gadot has a 4-4-3 record from 12 starts and career earnings of $1,199,053. Mark Casse trains the filly for Gary Barber.
The Queen's Plate is restricted to 3-year-olds foaled in Canada.
Oaklawn-raced Fairy Hill won the $100,000 Lady Angela Stakes Friday at Woodbine for Norman McKnight, Oaklawn's co-seventh-leading trainer this year.
Oaklawn-raced Plentiful won the $27,500 R. J. Speers Stakes Saturday at Assiniboia Downs in Canada.
Steve Asmussen won 30 races to capture the training title at the Churchill Downs spring meeting that ended Saturday. Brad Cox was second with 24 victories. Asmussen and Cox were first and fourth, respectively, at this year's Oaklawn meeting. It was ninth Oaklawn training title since 2007 for Asmussen, a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Oaklawn winners Storm Advisory and Warrior's Club ran second and third, respectively, in the $75,000 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes for sprinters Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Miz K, a 3-year-old daughter of multiple Oaklawn stakes winner and millionaire Tiz Miz Sue, ran third in her allowance comeback in Friday at Churchill Downs for trainer Steve Hobby, of Hot Springs. Miz K was unraced since a March 15 allowance at Oaklawn.
Trainer Mike Lauer, an Oaklawn regular, recorded his 1,000th career North American victory Saturday at Indiana Grand, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.
Princessof the Nyl, a March 16 Oaklawn maiden special weights winner, finished third in the $50,000 Irish Day Stakes Sunday at Emerald Downs in Washington.
Petrov, an allowance sprint winner Feb. 18 at Oaklawn, finished third in the Grade 3 $250,000 Smile Sprint Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Florida.
Sports on 07/05/2018