Hollinger, the winterbook favorite for Canada's Queen's Plate next month, heads a field of eight Ontario-bred 3-year-olds entered for the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes over Woodbine's Polytrack June 13.
Part of a program that includes the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser and $100,000 Alywow Stakes, the Plate Trial is restricted to horses foaled in Canada. It is race 8 with a probable post of 4:41 P.m. EDT.
Robert Harvey and Al Wortzman's homebred Hollinger is trained by Roger Attfield. He was undefeated in four starts last year and won both the Cup and Saucer and Coronation stakes to earn Canada's Sovereign Award as the nation's top male juvenile. The gray son of Black Minnaloushe out of the Dynaformer mare Dynamite Cocktail was installed at 5-2 in March for the Queen's Plate, which is July 4 this year.
The field for the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial also includes three others that are well-fancied in the winterbook: Giant's Tomb (5-1), Ghost Fleet (6-1) and D's Wando (8-1). All seven colts and geldings in the Plate Trial carry 126 pounds.
In his only start this year after spending the winter in Florida, Hollinger disappointed as the odds-on choice in the seven-furlong Queenston Stakes May 15. After running into traffic problems when boxed in on the turn, he failed to kick on in the stretch. He struggled home fourth in a field of six, 7 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Essence Hit Man.
Attfield, who also entered Stronach Stables' Mobilizer in the Plate Trial, has won eight Queen's Plate titles in his career and needs one more to break the record he shares with Harold Giddings Jr.
Hollinger breaks from post 4 and will have Tyler Pizarro, who has ridden him in all five of his races, aboard once again.
Jim Dandy Stable's Ghost Fleet, trained by Sid Attard, ran second in the Queenston. He stalked in fifth before running on gamely to nip D's Wando while six lengths behind the winner.
Winner of the Swynford Stakes at 2 and fourth in both the Grey Stakes (Can-III) and Coronation Cup, the Arch colt drew the inside post and is ridden by Luis Contreras.
D's Wando, from the Ian Black stable, has raced twice in 2010, finishing a close second in the Woodstock Stakes three weeks prior to his third-place effort in the Queenston. Owned by D's Stable and partners, the Wando colt also ran third in the nine-furlong Coronation Futurity in November, just three-quarters of a length behind Hollinger. D's Wando, in the money in seven of nine starts, has Emma-Jayne Wilson in the saddle and breaks from post 5.
Sam-Son Farms, who won last year's Queen's Plate with Eye of the Leopard , is represented by Giant's Tomb, a four-time starter in 2010 who won a two-turn optional claiming allowance by two lengths at Fair Grounds March 22. Trained by Mark Frostad, the son of Awesome Again is coming off a third-place showing in an optional claimer at Woodbine May 8. The runner-up in last year's Display Stakes has the services of Patrick Husbands.
Mobilizer, a Stronach homebred by Motivator, has a maiden win this spring at Woodbine in his second of three lifetime starts. He is coming off a second in a 1 1/16-mile first-level allowance race.
Andrew Fredericks' Mobthewarrior won the Frost King Stakes in his final start at 2 last November. The Mobil gelding was nosed in his only race so far this season, a non-winners of three allowance over the track at seven furlongs May 9.
Big Red Mike, a Tenpins gelding owned by Terra Racing Stable, has not been out of the money in four tries and makes his stakes debut for trainer Nicholas Gonzalez. Maiden Captain Canuck, from the Josie Carroll barn, completes the field.
$150,000 Plate Trial Stakes (Race 8, 4:41 p.m.), 3-Year-Olds, 1 1/8 Miles (Polyrack)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. Ghost Fleet (ON), L Contreras, S C Attard
2. Big Red Mike (ON), E R Da Silva, N Gonzalez
3. Mobilizer (ON), J C Jones, R L Attfield
4. Hollinger (ON), T Pizarro, R L Attfield
5. D's Wando (ON), E Wilson, I Black
6. Captain Canuck (ON), G K Gomez, J Carroll
7. Giant's Tomb (ON), P Husbands, M R Frostad
8. Mobthewarrior (ON), E Ramsammy, G de Gannes
All carry 126 pounds.