TORONTO -A million dollar Queen plate will be a family affair for Kevin Attard.
The experienced trainer will have four horses – including munnyfor Ro, winner of Woodbine Oaks – in the 13-horse field on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine Racecourse.
Keep Grinding, the early 4/1 favorite, is owned by Attard’s son Joshua and is powered by his father, Tino. And Sid, Kevin Attard’s uncle, is conditioning Riptide Rock.
But even if the blood is thicker than the water, this does not diminish the ardent desire of Kevin Attard to win his very first plate.
“I’m happy for my family,” Kevin Attard said. “I’m super excited for my son and father, but at the end of the day I want to win.”
Kevin Attard’s uncle Larry – a Canadian jockey from the horse racing hall of Fame-led Bompago to victory in the plate in ’83.
But Kevin Attard, his father and uncle are still running for their first coaching titles. If you cross the finish line first, it is believed that 17-year-old Joshua Attard would become the youngest winner in the history of the race.
“It’s unbelievable, I never thought I’d be in this situation at the age of 17, but I’m proud to be here,” junior Attard said. “It would be surreal for me and my grandfather to win his first Queen’s plate.
“It would be an incredible experience.”
Joshua Attard has owned horses since and bought Keep Grinding. Keep Grinding finished in silver in three of the five lifetime starts, including a second place effort in the Navy Rank 3 stakes on July 11.
“It’s a cool horse, very casual, very friendly, but it’s also a very honest horse,” Joshua Attard said. “It’s a bit exhausting when your horse is the favorite, that’s for sure.
But I know That further grinding will appear.”
Rafael Hernandez will ride Keep Grinding on Sunday, while regular jockey Justin Stein will be aboard Munnyfor Ro, the horse he led to a solid score of 1 1/4 of the length aug. 1 in Woodbine oaks from 500,000 Wood to 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta course of Woodbine.
At least one Woodbine Oaks starter has been started every year. Four of these obliged to have won are from the tax base of the Queen – Inglorious, Stroke Lou, Holy Helena and Wonder-Gadot.
Inglorous, Lexie Lou and Holy Helena completed the Oaks plate double, while Wonder Gadot finished second behind Dixie Moon in the Woodbine Oaks before winning the Queen’s Plate.
Munnyfor Ro noted in the Oaks that she was a bona fide candidate and won this race in 1:50.31. Earlier in the day, Avoman won the test of the 150,000 plate record in 1:52.84 over the same distance and course.
Munnyfor Ro is the second choice from the beginning of 9/2 and will separate from position 6 on Sunday. The three-year-old foal of the Ontarian breed has scored two wins in seven starts this year and has a 2-2-2 record in nine career races with winnings of more than.
“I think that’s a good position for them,” Kevin Attard said. “Obviously we want to keep her out of trouble and give her a clear run.
“She is a filly who likes to sit, so I hope that there is a good pace in front of her and that Justin can have a good trip.”
The compounds for munnyfor Ro have paid an additional fee of to have the chance to run for the winning prize of the plate of 600,000 plate.
The other Attard plate horses are h C Holiday (30/1), Haddassah (10/1) and Harlan Estate (12/1).
“It’s really exciting to be in this position, to have four horses in the race,” Attard said. “Obviously they’re hoping to have the right thing, but I think every horse has a great opportunity.
“In a perfect world, all four of them come together to the wire in dead heat.”
The racing field, with post position, horse, jockey and odds, includes: 1) Out-of-hand, Irad Ortiz Jr., 5/1; 2) Harlan Estate, Kazushi Kimura, 12/1; 3) Haddassah, Gary Baker, 10/1; 4) Try your luck, Keveh Nicholls (20/1); 5) H C Holiday, Luis Contreras, 15/1; 6) Munnyfor Ro, Stone, 9/2; 7) Riptide Rock, David Moran , 6/1; 8) Go On grinding, Rafael Hernandez, 4/1; 9) Go to support, Sahin Civaci, 30/1; 10) Dancing couple Mb, Patrick husbands (husbands), 12/1; 11) Avoman, Antonio Gallardo, 8/1; 12) Forces of ebb and flow, Emma-Jayne Wilson (12/1); and 13) derzkii, Jason Hoyte, 30/1.
The Ortiz Jr. decorated will make its very first appearance in a plate. Three-time Eclipse Award winner Ortiz Jr. as the best jockey is an 11-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup and won the victory at the Belmont.
The Sam-Son Farm will have two horses in the race on Sunday, dance So Mo and tidal forces. The iconic thoroughbred farm, founded the after Ernie Samuel, announced in October that it was dispersing its racing/livestock holdings.
Sam-Son has been associated with five plate winners, two Breeders’ Cup champions and 55 stakes winners.