Woodbine Entertainment CEO Lawson optimistic about full 17-horse Queen’s Plate field

The ’21 Queen’s Plate is giving Jim Lawson plenty of reasons to smile these days.

For the first time since 2019, fans will be allowed into Woodbine Racetrack to watch the first jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. About 5,000 spectators are expected to attend the Aug. 22 race.

And indications are they’ll have quite a race to watch as it appears North America’s longest continuously run thoroughbred stakes event will have a full field for the first time since 2011.

As of Friday, 18 probables remained for the 1 1/4-mile race on Woodbine’s Tapeta course. That bodes well for the $1-million Plate to have its first full field (17 starters) since filly Inglorious emerged victorious 10 years ago.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday morning.

“It’s very likely we’ll get a 17-horse field,” Lawson said. “It’s great, it makes for an exciting race … it just bodes well for excitement.”

Among the probables is ’21 Woodbine Oaks winner Munnyfor Ro. Trainer Kevin Attard said earlier this week that Munnyfor Ro emerged from the $500,000 race Aug. 1 in good form and was being pointed toward the Plate, although a final decision would be made closer to the race.

Munnyfor Ro showed she’s a definite Plate contender after winning the 1 1/8-mile Oaks on Woodbine’s Tapeta course in 1:50.31. Earlier in the day, Avoman captured the $150,000 Plate Trial in 1:52.84 over the same distance and surface.

“She certainly has proven she can get the distance and I think she sure has answered the question about the surface,” Lawson said. “You’d have to think she’s maybe going to go into the race as the favourite based upon distance alone.”

It was the second victory in seven starts this year for Munnyfor Ro, who’s now 2-2-2 from nine career races and has earned over $320,000. If the decision is made to have her to take a run at the Plate, the connections will have to pay a $25,000 supplemental fee.

“After winning the Oaks, money probably isn’t the big issue,” Lawson said. “The question is do they think it’s the right thing to do by the horse?”

Four Oaks starters have gone on to capture the Plate. Following Inglorious were Lexie Lou (2014), Holy Helena (2017) and Wonder Gadot (2018).

Inglorious, Lexie Lou and Holy Helena completed the Oaks-Plate double while Wonder Gadot captured the Plate after finishing second in the Oaks to Dixie Moon. Attard did say if Munnyfor Ro does run in the Plate, jockey Justin Stein, who rode her to a 1 1/4-length victory in the Oaks, will be aboard once again.

One horse that won’t be in the Plate is Weyburn, a three-year-old colt that was rated as an early 3-1 favourite in March. Weyburn is owned/bred by Chiefswood Stables and general manager Robert Landry said the timing of the Plate and it being run on Tapeta were the two main factors in the decision.

Weyburn last ran July 31 when he was fourth in the Grade 2 US$600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile dirt race at Saratoga. What’s more, Weyburn has never run on Tapeta.

Lawson said upward of 10 Canadian Olympians will be in the audience at Woodbine on Aug. 22, as well as some members of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy will perform before the Plate.

“It’s going to be a very fun day in addition to the race,” Lawson said. “We’ll have a lot going on.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2021.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press