Toronto will take centre stage in Canadian racing on Saturday, August 15, when 12 three-year-olds line up for the 167th King’s Plate at Woodbine, with Luster bringing a particularly strong recent record into North America’s oldest continuously run stakes race. The $1 million classic will be contested over 1¼ miles and serves as the opening leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
King’s Plate 2026 will bring together a field with contrasting profiles, from proven stakes performers to lightly raced contenders still seeking their defining moment. The race is restricted to Canadian-bred three-year-olds, with the fillies Luster and Dixie Law carrying 121 pounds and the remaining starters assigned 126.
The Triple Crown will continue with the Prince of Wales Stakes over 1 3/16 miles at Fort Erie on September 7 before concluding with the 1½-mile Breeders’ Stakes on the E.P. Taylor turf course at Woodbine on September 27. Wando remains the most recent horse to complete the Canadian Triple Crown, achieving the feat in 2003.
Luster has perhaps the most eye-catching recent form in the field. The Josie Carroll-trained filly comes into the classic after a commanding 5½-length victory in the Woodbine Oaks over 1⅛ miles on July 19, stopping the clock in 1:50.99.
John Velazquez will again take the ride on the daughter of Knicks Go, who has won four of five career starts. Her only defeat came when she finished third in the Ruling Angel Stakes in May.
Bred by Ravi Sugrim and Joannie Dass, Luster began her career with two victories before returning to the winner’s circle at Keeneland to open her three-year-old season. The Woodbine Oaks success followed her earlier win in the Selene Stakes, giving Carroll’s runner two important stakes victories heading into the Plate.
Carroll, a three-time winner of the King’s Plate, will be seeking another major success with a filly who has continued to improve with each start.
Highwaytothemoon enters the race with arguably the strongest recent preparation among the colts after winning the Plate Trial Stakes on July 19.
Trained by Dale Desruisseaux for Niagara Farms, the son of Ransom the Moon has won back-to-back stakes races, having previously taken the Queenston Stakes. His Plate Trial victory came over nine furlongs, where Rafael Hernandez guided him to a one-length success.
The colt has missed the top three only once in seven starts and has shown an ability to settle before producing his best work in the closing stages. That quality could become increasingly important as the distance stretches to 1¼ miles.
Hernandez, a three-time King’s Plate-winning jockey, will once again be aboard.
The Plate Trial also produced useful form behind Highwaytothemoon, with Imyourmedicineman finishing second and Military Time third. Those performances have given both runners a strong platform heading into Saturday’s classic.
Dixie Law is one of only two fillies in the field and arrives with an accomplished record of her own.
Trained by Dale Desruisseaux for owner-breeder Garland Williamson, the daughter of Tiz the Law has won four of eight starts. She captured the Cup & Saucer Stakes and Mazarine Stakes last season before adding the Ruling Angel Stakes this year.
Her second-place finish behind Luster in the Woodbine Oaks also gives her a direct line of form with one of the leading contenders.
Pietro Moran, who partnered Mansetti to victory in last year’s King’s Plate, will take the mount. Dixie Law was also a finalist for the 2025 Sovereign Award in the Champion Two-Year-Old Filly category.
Brachetto has steadily built a compelling record and will arrive with a chance to write his own chapter in Manitoba racing history.
Trained by Julia Carey and bred by Ross and Brenda McKague, the son of Vekoma has finished in the top three in all five starts. His résumé includes a Grade 3 victory in the Marine Stakes on June 27.
Brachetto began his career with a third-place finish and followed with a runner-up effort before breaking his maiden in his three-year-old debut. The Marine Stakes victory confirmed his progress against stronger company.
A victory on Saturday would make Brachetto the first Manitoba-bred horse to win the King’s Plate, adding an extra layer of significance to his assignment.
Ryan Munger will ride.
Kevin Attard sends out two contenders, with Baaeed Alynna among them.
The son of Good Magic has one victory from three starts and will make his third stakes appearance. His latest effort came in the Plate Trial, where he finished sixth.
Attard, who trained last year’s winner Mansetti and has three King’s Plate victories to his name, believes the lightly raced colt has the ability to handle the longer distance.
Sahin Civaci will take the ride for Tagermeen Racing, with the horse bred by Saintsbury Farms.
Bond Market will make a significant class and distance rise after winning his debut over a mile on Woodbine’s inner turf on July 5.
Trained by Carlos Grant and bred and owned by Brian O’Leary, the son of Bond Street has raced only once, making Saturday’s assignment one of the biggest tests of his young career.
Xarel Forde, who partnered the colt in that first victory, will retain the mount.
The lack of experience is the obvious question, but the colt’s debut victory gives his connections reason to take their chance in the Canadian classic.
Fire and Wine is the most experienced runner in the field, having made 10 career starts.
The Zeljko Krcmar-trained colt became a stakes winner when he captured last year’s Coronation Futurity. That success came immediately after he broke his maiden, and he has since continued to compete against stakes company.
Owned by Paul Ryder and bred by James and Janeane Everatt, Arika Meeuse and Robert Marzilli, Fire and Wine will be making his fifth consecutive stakes appearance.Jalon Samuel will ride the son of Lexitonian.
Don Ique has won twice from seven starts and enters the Plate after finishing fifth in the Plate Trial.
Trained by Josie Carroll for Mike Cooke, the son of Astern had previously put together two consecutive victories, including one to close his two-year-old season and another at the beginning of his three-year-old campaign.
His Plate Trial performance was enough to persuade Carroll that he had earned his place in the field, particularly after a strong gallop-out suggested that the longer distance could suit.Emma-Jayne Wilson, the 2007 King’s Plate-winning rider, will be in the saddle.Imyourmedicineman has already shown that he can compete at this level after finishing second in the Plate Trial.
The Harold Ladouceur-trained runner has a record of one win, two seconds and one third from seven starts. He also finished third in last year’s Coronation Futurity before breaking his maiden over 1 mile and 70 yards.
His recent preparation has been aimed at finding the racing style that suits him best. The Plate Trial suggested that the adjustments made by the Ladouceur team have paid off.
Luis Contreras, a two-time King’s Plate-winning jockey, will take the mount.Magical Factor has finished second in his last two starts and will step into the biggest race of his career.
Trained by Rachel Halden, the son of The Factor has one win and two seconds from five starts. He broke his maiden over 1⅛ miles on turf at Keeneland in April before progressing into stakes company.His runner-up finish in the Marine Stakes behind Brachetto was another positive step.Jose Campos will ride a horse whose form has improved steadily throughout the season.
Military Time arrives after finishing third in the Plate Trial and has already shown an ability to handle demanding assignments.The Mark Casse-trained colt has two wins, two seconds and a third from six starts. He won on debut last August before finishing fifth in the Cup & Saucer Stakes and second in the Coronation Futurity.
Casse has won the King’s Plate three times, most recently with Paramount Prince in 2024. The trainer will be hoping the extra distance brings further improvement from Military Time.Very Special is the least experienced member of the field, with three starts under his belt and no victory yet.
The Kevin Attard-trained colt has finished second once and third twice and will make his stakes debut in the $1 million classic.A troubled beginning affected his most recent outing, but he rallied to finish third. Attard will add blinkers for the Plate in an attempt to sharpen his focus.Romero Ramsay Maragh will take the ride.
The King’s Plate will headline a substantial stakes programme at Woodbine on August 15. The supporting card includes the $200,000 King Edward Stakes over one mile on the inner turf, the $200,000 Canadian Stakes over 1 1/16 miles, the $175,000 Bold Venture Stakes over 6½ furlongs, the $150,000 Soaring Free Stakes for two-year-olds and the $150,000 Catch A Glimpse Stakes for two-year-old fillies.The first race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET, with the King’s Plate forming the centrepiece of the afternoon. Woodbine lists the classic at 1¼ miles on its all-weather main track.
There is no finish order to report yet because the King’s Plate is scheduled for Saturday, August 15. The latest significant finishing order came in the Plate Trial, where Highwaytothemoon finished first, Imyourmedicineman second, Military Time third and Casson fourth.With Luster bringing dominant Oaks form, Highwaytothemoon arriving on a two-race stakes winning streak and several others carrying proven graded-stakes form, the 167th running has the ingredients of a closely watched Canadian classic.
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