Rowan Ward
The most exciting race of the year in Canada, the 2021 Queen’s Plate, is coming up Sunday, August 22 at Woodbine Racetrack! The race drew 13 of the best three-year-olds bred in Canada, to race a mile and a quarter on the Woodbine Tapeta for a $1,000,000 purse and an eternal place in Canadian horse racing history.
The race is also the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown. The series continues with the Prince of Wales Stakes on the Fort Erie dirt course on September 14, and concludes with the Breeders’ Stakes over the grass at Woodbine on October 3.
Where to Bet the Queen’s Plate
Before you begin to handicap the Queen’s Plate, you need to choose the best place to bet the Queen’s Plate online. Get a profitable start by learning about the top rated sportsbooks, which offer smooth user interfaces, trusted deposit and cash-out options, and excellent odds for playing the race.
Many of these sportsbooks also offer special incentives for playing the Queen’s Plate, including rebates and deposit bonuses. So, find the best horse racing betting site that is offering the best odds and incentives for your betting style, and get ready to cash your Queen’s Plate tickets!
Queen’s Plate Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2021 Queen’s Plate including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Safe Conduct (Phillip Serpe/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) – 5-1
- Harlan Estate (Kevin Attard/Kazushi Kimura) – 12-1
- Haddassah (Kevin Attard/Gary Boulanger) – 10-1
- Take a Chance (Catherine Day Phillips/Keveh Nicholls) – 20-1
- H C Holiday (Kevin Attard/Luis Contreras) – 15-1
- Munnyfor Ro (Kevin Attard/Justin Stein) – 9-2
- Riptide Rock (Sid Attard/David Moran) – 6-1
- Keep Grinding (Tino Attard/Rafael Hernandez) – 4-1
- Go Take Charge (Breeda Hayes/Sahin Civaci) – 30-1
- Dance Some Mo (Graham Motion/Patrick Husbands) – 12-1
- Avoman (Don MacRae/Antonion Gallardo) – 8-1
- Tidal Forces (Gail Cox/Emma-Jayne Wilson – 12-1
- Derzkii (Carlos Grant/Jason Hoyte) – 30-1
The morning lines are just the track’s best guess about how the prices will look come the time of the race. Your best chance to get the best the odds on the leading 2021 Queen’s Plate contenders is to check them at the best online sportsbooks:
 |  |  |
|
| Keep Grinding | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Munnyfor Ro | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Safe Conduct | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Riptide Rock | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Avoman | +800 | +800 | +800 |
Free Queen’s Plate Picks
Let’s take a look at the top contenders in the 2021 Queen’s Plate. This includes some of the more formful and logical horses, as well as longshots who have a strong chance of outrunning their odds in Canada’s most iconic race.
Queen’s Plate Handicapping
The horse to beat in the Queen’s Plate is #6 Munnyfor Ro. She comes into the Plate out of a strong victory in the Woodbine Oaks, and keeps strong rider Justin Stein. Fillies have a very strong recent record in the Queen’s Plate, and she has both the Tapeta ability and the improving form to make her a threat.
Though Munnyfor Ro is a late runner, that trip should suit the race. She does not need a pace collapse to make a run, and even though there probably won’t be a duel up front, enough horses like to be fairly close to the pace that the fractions will not be slow. Expect her to come running on late.
Though #7 Riptide Rock is taking a significant step up in distance, stretching out from six furlongs to ten, he should be a serious contender. His allowance win last out shows he can handle the Tapeta track well, and his two-turn form at Oaklawn combined with his stout pedigree suggest he has a good chance to enjoy the mile and a quarter.
#8 Keep Grinding, a stalking to midpack type, is the morning line favorite. Though he loses regular rider Justin Stein to Munnyfor Ro, he gets an excellent replacement in Rafael Hernandez, one of the best in the colony. He has to return to winning form, but he ran a good second in an open stakes last time and may be ready to return to peak performance third off the lay.
Queen’s Plate Longshots
#10 Dance Some Mo is the best longer shot in the Queen’s Plate. The Graham Motion trainee tries stakes company for the first time, but it won’t be too much of a step classwise since he has never faced only Canadian-breds. He is an Uncle Mo son from a family that has made a lot of noise in the Plate, as he is a descendant of Dance Smartly and Dancethruthedawn.
From the 10 gate, Dance Some Mo should be able to take advantage of his tactical speed, especially in the hands of Patrick Husbands, an experienced Woodbine jockey who has already won two Queen’s Plates during his career.
#12 Tidal Forces also has a strong chance to improve in the Queen’s Plate. Though he has tables to turn on a few of these from the Marine (G3) last time out, he is tactical enough to handle the outside gate. He already has a win going a mile and an eighth, and being by Malibu Moon from the close female family of Irish Mission, the extra distance only helps his case.
Queen’s Plate Free Picks
Here are your free Queen’s Plate expert picks for the 2021 Queen’s Plate:
- $30 Win: #6 Munnyfor Ro
- $5 Win/Place/Show: #10 Dance Some Mo
- $5 Exacta Key: #6 Munnyfor Ro with #7 Riptide Rock, #10 Dance Some Mo
- $1 Trifecta Key: #6 Munnyfor Ro with #7 Riptide Rock, #10 Dance Some Mo, #12 Tidal Forces
- $1 Superfecta Key: #6 Munnyfor Ro with #7 Riptide Rock, #8 Keep Grinding, #10 Dance Some Mo, #12 Tidal Forces
