The last time Todd Kabel had to choose between Queen's Plate mounts, he found himself in the winner's circle in Canadian Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious event. This year, he's hoping for a similar result aboard Mobil, owner Gus Schickedanz's talented 3-year-old colt, in Sunday's race.The silks might be different, but the situation certainly is not.Kabel currently leads the Woodbine jockey standings with 44 wins through June 15. Faced with the unenviable decision of selecting one of Schickedanz's aces, Mobil or Wando, the eight-time stakes winner in 2003 is pinning his hopes on this year's winner of the Plate Trial Stakes (May 31, at Woodbine). "The last time I had to make a decision like this, it turned out perfectly," said Kabel, of the 2000 Plate, when he was forced to decide between two Sam-Son Farm horses, Scatter The Gold and Strike Smartly. "I went with the maiden (Scatter The Gold) and we won it. Hopefully, it turns out the same way this year."The decision, much like three years ago, was hardly an easy one. But Kabel, who has been aboard both sons of former champion Langfuhr, went with the horse he has ridden in all but one of his eight lifetime starts."He's shown that he can carry 126 pounds over 1 1/8-miles (Plate Trial) and I'm sure he can handle the Plate distance (1 ΒΌ miles)," said Kabel.The jockey was on Mobil for a Monday morning training work, logging six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 handily over Woodbine's main track. "I'm happy and comfortable with my decision."
Patrick Husbands, the Toronto oval's second-leading rider in 2003 and winner of four consecutive Sovereign Awards as the country's top jockey, gets the call aboard Wando.