Caitlinhergrtness becomes the 39th filly to win the King's Plate

For the second time in three years, a filly trained by Kevin Attard and ridden by Rafael Hernandez has claimed victory in the King’s Plate. This marks the fifth time in the last 11 years that a filly has triumphed in Canada’s most prestigious horse race, the $1 million King’s Plate. Just two days after narrowly defeating the champion colt My Boy Prince to secure the 165th Plate, Caitlinhergrtness (by Omaha Beach out of Belatrix, sired by Giant’s Causeway) was contentedly munching hay in her stall at Attard’s barn, adorned with a beautiful blanket of flowers.

Caitlinhergrtness becomes the 39th filly to win the Plate and the second trained by Attard in the last three years, following Moira’s victory in 2022. Both fillies were jockeyed by the talented Rafael Hernandez, who has now achieved three Plate victories since establishing Woodbine as his home base in 2016, with Tony Esposito serving as his agent.

This year’s Plate story, however, centred not only on Caitlinhergrtness' exciting finish against Gary Barber’s impressive My Boy Prince, but also on the six-day delay in the race, which was moved to Friday after heavy rain interrupted the original Plate day on August 17.

The storm struck just after the first race, hammering the Tapeta surface until race five. By then, the track had become unsafe due to poor drainage. In a swift decision, officials rescheduled the Plate and accompanying stakes races for Friday, the 23rd, resulting in significant backlash from horse owners and fans who had purchased tickets.

Ultimately, the races unfolded on a sunny afternoon with a sizable crowd, and a total of $11.6 million was wagered across the 12-race card.

The Plate showcased remarkable horsemanship. The Mark Casse team effectively guided My Boy Prince (sired by Cairo Prince) to run an excellent race, despite concerns that the distance could be slightly taxing. Having won the Plate Trial under Sahin Civaci, he appeared to be on course for an easy victory as he took the lead on the final turn.

However, Caitlinhergrtness and Hernandez had a different plan in mind. “I just wanted to save as much ground as possible around the first turn,” Hernandez shared. “I figured if I could track the horses to the quarter-pole, I could let her swing out and let her do her thing.”

Attard had received Caitlinhergrtness, named after basketball star Caitlin Clark, in his Woodbine barn in early summer. Bred in Ontario by small-scale breeder Jesse Korona, the shining chestnut filly had raced four times in 2023 for her owners, WinStar Farm LLC, represented by Elliott Walden, and Kentucky-based Siena Farm, LLC, founded by the late Anthony Manganaro. Caitlinhergrtness won her second race at a mile on dirt at Aqueduct and finished fourth in two consecutive outings, including a dirt sprint at Gulfstream in February.

As is typical for many Canadian-breds starting their careers in the U.S. (she was a $375,000 purchase from the Ocala April Two-Year-Old in Training sale in 2023), the Canadian classics became a key focus.

Attard needed to accelerate Caitlinhergrtness’ development to qualify for the Woodbine Oaks on July 20. He opted for an inner turf allowance/optional claiming race on July 6, where she impressively distanced herself from older mares, achieving a solid 79 Beyer Speed Figure. This performance made her a favourite for the Oaks, where she showed strength but was ultimately caught by Kin’s Concerto, earning an 80 Beyer.

Over a week later, when it was announced that Caitlinhergrtness would compete in the Plate as part of Attard’s three-horse team, her connections had to pay a $25,000 supplement to enter her.

On Friday, the investment paid off with a $600,000 reward. Attard's exemplary training ensured the filly peaked in her third race post-layoff, and although her time of 2:03.45 was one of the slowest in the past decade, she achieved a career-best 88 Beyer Figure, as noted by Daily Racing Form.

My Boy Prince, despite finishing second, did not lose any stature, while his stablemate Midnight Mascot secured third for owners Manfred and Penny Conrad and trainer Mark Casse. Attard’s other contender, Pierre, owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, finished a commendable fourth at 40-to-1.

Canadian Thoroughbred will connect with Caitlinhergrtness’ owners, trainer, and breeder this week to see who might return for the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on September 10.