Why Luster is the horse to watch in Saturday’s King’s Plate at Woodbine

Reason the three-year-old is the even-money morning-line favourite can be attributed to her mastering of the eye test at Woodbine Oaks.

Published Aug 14, 2026  •  4 minute read

Luster is the even-money favourite to win the King's Plate on Saturday. Michael Burns Photo

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Sent off at 70 cents on the dollar, Luster’s win in the Woodbine Oaks was somewhat expected. The manner in which she won wasn’t.

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The reason the three-year-old daughter of Knicks Go is the even-money morning-line favourite for Saturday’s King’s Plate can be attributed to her mastering of the eye test on July 19.

From the second she made the lead at the top of the final turn, to the minimal amount of work jockey John Velazquez had to do to get her to pull away from her rivals, to the motion she was still showing with the race wrapped up, it was a spectacle.

“I thought she would run well in it,” trainer Josie Carroll said. “She actually exceeded what I expected in that race.

“What I liked was the way she finished up. She didn’t take as much out of herself as I was concerned she would.”

Winning is very familiar to Luster. Before the Oaks, she had won the Selene Stakes and an allowance race on the turf at Keeneland. She was a dominant winner of her only race as a two-year-old. Her only defeat was a third-place finish in the Ruling Angel Stakes, where she contended but had still lacked the gear she needed to win the seven-furlong race.

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Carroll, who is seeking her fourth Plate win 20 years after winning her first with Edenwold, likes the filly’s tactical speed and versatility, as well as her will.

“She’s just a horse that wants to win,” she said. “She throws it on the line every time.”

“She’s tired for three days after she runs. She gives you everything she has.”

Now facing colts for the first time at 1 1/4-miles in the $1-million classic. Luster will have to give a bit more.

“Last race was pretty easy for her. She didn’t have to reach down,” Carroll said. “Plate day, she’s going to have to reach down. We’ll see what she’s made of.”

Velazquez, a hall-of-famer who is the first North American rider to amass $500 million in career purse earnings, won the 2018 Plate riding Wonder Gadot.

Could Don Ique be a solid longshot?

A possible longshot to consider for exotic wagers is Carroll’s other entrant. The distance seems right up Don Ique’s alley.

The colt raced last year in Indiana, where he broke his maiden with a front-running score. Since being transferred to Carroll, he has a win in May coming from behind. He had a poor outing in his ensuing start but, in the Plate Trial, he could be seen running well at the end after being last for the first half of the race. He ended up fifth, six lengths back of the winner, Highwaytothemoon.

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“That was the decisive race for me. Until then I wasn’t sure we were going in this direction with the horse,” Carroll said. “But when he finished like that and galloped out the way he did, he certainly indicated he would get a mile and a quarter.”

Emma-Jayne Wilson, who is still the only female rider to win a Plate after her 2007 win aboard Mike Fox, will get her first race ride but had familiarized herself with Don Ique in the morning.

“I’ve been on him a couple of times and I’m pleased with the way he’s going,” she said.

A field of 12 will contest the 167th Plate, the first leg of the Canadian triple crown. Post time is set for 6:12 p.m.

What does the full card look like?

The Plate will be the 10th of 13 races on Saturday. Plenty of wagering opportunities will be there with five stakes races that will surround it — including four races which serve as prep events for Turf Champions day on Sept. 12.

The $150,000 Catch a Glimpse and $150,000 Soaring Free are tuneups for the Natalma and Summer Stakes, races that will award the winner a spot in the Breeders’ Cup.

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Ghost Me, a two-time winner who most recently won the My Dear Stakes for trainer George Weaver, headlines a field of 10 in the Catch a Glimpse.

De la Renta, a fashionable winner of a maiden on July 19, could be the one in the eight-horse Soaring Free for trainer Kevin Attard.

The $200,000 Canadian Stakes, a springboard to the E.P. Taylor, has a field of seven including Eponine, who raced in France previously and recently won a turf race for Attard. The Brendan Walsh-trained Proctor Street is the main danger.

The $200,000 King Edward, the local prep for the Woodbine Mile, attracted six and is also a battle between the Attard-trained Gas Me Up, who won last year’s race and took a grade 2 stake in California over the winter and the Walsh-trained Irish Acres, the recent second-place finisher in the Connaught Cup.

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The only other synthetic stake of the day is the $175,000 Bold Venture Stakes, which drew a field of eight. Popular six-year-old gelding Poulin In O T, who captured the Pink Lloyd Stakes last out, will take on Western Whirl, recently second in the Highlander Stakes.

Why guest should come early

A reminder to those holding tickets that a labour disruption involving employees of the casino on the Woodbine property is causing delays at all entrance points to Woodbine. Cars are being held for a specific length of time, so factor that into your commute.

The Plate will also be televised on City TV starting at 4:30 p.m.

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