The King's Plate entrants are getting prepared for the next race

The King's Plate entrants had a busy morning of workouts following a significant rainstorm that affected the races at Woodbine. The top three betting favourites – My Boy Prince, Essex Serpent, and Midnight Mascot – all trained over a much improved Tapeta track after the heavy rains led to the cancellation of races the previous day.

My Boy Prince, trained by Mark Casse and currently the favourite for the Plate, had a solid workout, clocking in at 37 seconds for three furlongs. Essex Serpent, the second favourite, followed closely at 37.40 seconds, while Midnight Mascot, the third favourite, completed the distance in 39.20 seconds. Both Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot are owned by Manfred and Penny Conrad, who had a sizable group of guests present on what was supposed to be Plate Day.

Casse emphasised the need for adaptability in training, noting that both Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot hadn’t worked out in about 11-12 days prior to these breezes. Gary Barber, also present that morning, owns My Boy Prince.

On the following Monday morning, two more King’s Plate entrants, Rafaroo and Vitality, had their own workouts, clocking in at 39.00 and 38.20 seconds respectively. Rafaroo, still a maiden, had been noted by track announcer Robert Geller as a potential contender on Plate Day, while the majority favoured Essex Serpent.

In an unfortunate turn of events, the horse Bedard was scratched from the race on the morning of the Plate due to a medication issue involving methocarbamol, which was administered too close to race time. However, with the rescheduling of the Plate to Friday, Bedard has been reinstated in the field. There have been discussions regarding shifting the event to Saturday to accommodate more fans and wagers, so updates on that are anticipated.