Telekinesis early Queen’s Plate favorite

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Recent maiden winner Telekinesis is the early 4-1 favorite for the 159th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate, scheduled for June 30 over 1 1/4 miles on Woodbine’s Tapeta.

The Queen’s Plate winter book offers hypothetical odds on all 108 Canadian Triple Crown nominees, which include 95 colts and geldings and 13 fillies. This year’s winter book was compiled by Ron Gierkink and Alex Campbell of Daily Racing Form and Keith McCalmont, communications manager for the Woodbine Entertainment Group.

Trained by Mark Casse, Telekinesis won his debut at Fair Grounds by 3 1/4 lengths on Feb. 9 in a six-furlong dirt sprint. He earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure, the second highest figure among this year’s Queen’s Plate nominees. The $470,000 weanling purchase by Stonestreet Stables at the 2015 Keeneland November breeding stock sale is a son of Ghostzapper, who also has sired recent Queen’s Plate winners Shaman Ghost (2015) and Holy Helena (2017).

Casse said he’s always thought highly of Telekinesis and will be looking to get a two-turn race into him at Fair Grounds.

“If you look at him, to me, he is what you look for in a two-turn horse,” Casse said. “Right now, we’re hoping to get a two-turn allowance for him in New Orleans. We had him last year, and we thought he was one of the best 2-yearolds we had, but he had just a minor injury.”

Should Telekinesis run back to his debut effort in his second start, Casse said he could jump onto the Kentucky Derby trail.

“We’re not leaving that off the table right now,” he said. “Of course, everything would have to go right. I will say that [owner] Mrs. [Barbara] Banke has said to me that she would love to win the Queen’s Plate.”

Casse, who was named a Racing Hall of Fame finalist earlier this week, has nominated 11 horses to the Canadian Triple Crown in search of his second Queen’s Plate victory, having scored with Lexie Lou in 2014.

“You can’t ever win too many Queen’s Plates,” he said. “It is the pinnacle of Canadian racing, which has been so instrumental in my career. It took a long time to win one, and I don’t want it to take that long to win two.”

Casse’s horses occupy the first four positions in the Queen’s Plate winterbook, with Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes winner Flameaway (5-1), Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes winner Wonder Gadot (6-1), and Neepawa (8-1) following Telekinesis in the rankings.

Rounding out the top five is Dixie Moon (10-1), who finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar in November before capping off her season with a win in the Ontario Lassie Stakes on Dec. 3 at Woodbine.

A trio of stakes winners – Coronation Futurity winner Aheadbyacentury (12-1), Kingarvie Stakes winner Silent Sting (14-1), and Frost King Stakes winner Be Vewy Vewy Quiet (16-1) – along with SamSon Farm homebreds Strike Me Down (18-1) and Kitten’s Boy (20-1), complete the top 10 winter book choices.

The full list of Canadian Triple Crown nominees with odds is available at woodbineentertainment.com.