Queen’s Plate 2017: Odds and Picks

The 2017 Queen’s Plate, a 1 ¼ miles test for Canada’s top three-year-olds worth $1million, runs Sunday at Woodbine. A field of 13 is slated to line up on the allweather track, headed up by the Woodbine Oaks winning filly, Holy Helena.

Picks for the Queen’s Plate can be found at Queen’s Plate 2017: Odds and Analysis from Zipse at the Track. The full fieldand morning line odds are below as seen on the HRN Stakes Tracker.

The morning line favorite is the Jimmy Jerkens-trainedfilly, Holy Helena. A daughter of Ghostzapper, Holy Helena made her race debutthis year at Aqueduct and finished second. She came back to break her maidennext out at Belmont Park, but it was her Woodbine Oaks win that put her on themap for the Queen’s Plate. After sitting mid-pack in the Woodbine Oaks, she wasable to rally for a length victory. The Queen’s Plate will be another step upin company, but it will also be a chance for Holy Helena to further her statusas an up-and-coming filly.

Trainer Bill Mott hopes to accomplish hisfirst Queen’s Plate win with Channel Maker.The English Channel gelding only has one win from eight starts, but hasfinished strong in his last two outings. At two, he won the Vandal Stakes at Woodbinein gate-to-wire fashion, beating Queen’s Plate rivals Malibu Secret, King andHis Court, and State of Honor. Earlier this year he was second by half-a-lengthin a Keeneland allowance race on the turf, and was most recently second in theGrade 3 Marine on Woodbine’s all-weather. If his recent form holds true,Channel Maker has a shot to get back in the winner’s circle.

King and His Courtisone of two Queen’s Plate contenders for Mark Casse. The Court Vision geldingfinished out his two-year-old season by winning the Coronation Futurity and theDisplay Stakes, both at Woodbine. After an attempt on the Kentucky Derby 2017trail, King and His Court returned to Woodbine to take theWando Stakes and finish second in the Plate Trial over stablemate State of Honor,who will also run Sunday.

Guy Caballero, the last-to-first upsetwinner of the Plate Trial, will attempt to sweep by the field again in theQueen’s Plate. While he had finished behind King and His Court as atwo-year-old, the Quality Road gelding hopes to best the familiar rival againat age three.