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4 Ten Seek 95th Queens Plate Today KING MAPLE King Maple Likely Favorite at l-to-2 Canadas Horse of Year for 1953 Meets Queens Own in 9,430 Woodbine Park Race By DOUGLAS COOPER Staff Correspondent WOODBINE PARK, Toronto, Ont., June 11. Ten Canadian-bred three-year-olds, survivors of the rigors of the long, strenuous training grind and the Plate Trials, will go postward in the 95th running of Canadas famous thoroughbred classic, the Queens Plate. The presence of Canadas Horse of the Year in 1953 has no doubt militated against a larger field seeking laurels in the richest running of the mile and a furlong fixture. There were no casualties during the spring training period to rob the race of any color such as suffered by the Kentucky Derby when Turn-to and Porterhouse were forced to withdraw because of infirmities. There were 43 remaining eligibles for the plate as of last May 1. The event will gross 9,430 and the winners share will amount to 2,430. Last year, E; P. Taylors Canadiana earned 0,952 for her triumph over Blue Scooter. A crowd of 35,000 is expected to see the renewal. The McMacken Stables King Maple is likely to rule a l-to-2 favorite to capture the guineas and outside of Queens Own, Field for Queens Plate P.P. JHorse. Jockey. Wt. 1 Welcome Home- No boy 119 2 Heptad K Clemes 119 3 King Maple HLmdberg 119 4 Staff Reporter C Brown 119 5 Three Striper R Otis 119 6 Queens Own B Albert 119 7 Collisteo C Rogers 114 8 Miss Luscoe No boy 119 9 HiLaude ERoy 119 10 Pancho A Bavington 119 whom he has never met before, has trounced every other member of the field on Occasion. Herb Lindberg, who has ridden the colt in all of nine victories to date, will be in the saddle. He will be seeking his second triumph in the Plate, having won with Sally Fuller in 1935. Queens Plate Day will have all the pomp and dignity that each year prevails on this occasion and His Excellency the Governor General of Canada will make his first visit to Woodbine to make the official presentation to the owner of the winner of the Plate on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth H. The brass band of the 48th Highlanders, in addition to trumpheters from the Governor Generals Horse Guards, will be on duty for the vice regal ceremonies. In 1939 Woodbine was privileged to have1 as honored guests their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who presented the winning trophy to George Mc-Cullagh, owner of Archworth. The Queens Plate will be the seventh race on the program and the field is scheduled to go to post at approximately 5:30 p. m. EDT. The event will be carried on a trans Canada network on television and radio. Named to oppose King Maple are E. P. Taylors Queens Own and Staff Reporter, Bur-Fit Stables Collisteo and Pancho, Continued on Page Fifty-Eight Ten Seeking Queens Plate; King Maple Stout Favorite Continued from Page Seven Armstrong Brothers Heptad, Dr. L. H. Applebys Hi Laude, J. E. F. Seagrams Three Striper, Luscoe Stables Miss Luscoe and Miss O. R. Armstrongs Welcome Home, After the drawing of post positions for the 95th running of the Queens Plate was completed shortly after 10 ajn. Friday morning, the writer approached trainers Johnny Hornsby, Gordon "Pete" McCann and Dick Townrow. They were each asked the same question: "What do you think of your chances in the Plate?" Hornsby, who will saddle the top-heavy choice, King Maple, oozed nothing but confidence. He said: "King Maple has come up to the race in the best possible condition. He is ready for the race of his life and I dont think he will have much trouble getting home on the front end." McCann, who will tighten the girths on Queens Own and Staff Reporter, had this to say: "Both colts are in the best of condition and will be tough to beat." Townrow, who will saddle Collisteo and Pancho, gave out with: "Both my charges have done everything I have asked of them." They are ready for a hard race and I. expect each to give a good account of himself." In the draw for post positions, Welcome Home drew the No. 1 position, the favored King Maple No. 3 and Queens Own No. 6. Pancho will break from No. 10. Tomorrows Plate might be compared with the 1953 running of the Kentucky Derby. It will be recalled that A. G. Van-derbilts Native Dancer was a prohibitive choice to win the fixture and most were willing to concede honors to the "gray ghost." By the same token this might be termed "King Maples Queens Plate." His record is so far superior to any others in the line-up that many believe it will be just another race for the good son of Fair-aris. Theres one horse in the field that he has yet to prove hes superior over and we refer to Queens Own. Hes a highly regarded colt who has only been lightly raced and won both of his Trial efforts to confirm the opinion that he is a good one. It may develop into a keenly fought argument for the richest prize ever offered in the classic and possibly the most lucrative purse since the Man o War Sir Barton race staged at Kenilworth Park. Kenneth Clemes has been named to ride Heptad; Herb Lindberg of course will be on King Maple; Clayton Brown rides Staff Reporter; Roy Otis will have the leg up on J. E. F. Seagrams Three Striper; Bert Albert will be entrusted to handling Queens Own; Chris Rogers who has already won two Plate renewals with Epic in 1949 and McGill the following year, will handle Collisteo; Emil Roy will ride Dr. L. H. Applebys Hi Laude and Alfred Bavington is scheduled to be up on Pancho. No riders were named for Miss Luscoe or Welcome Home.
