The respective King's Plate winners from 2023 and 2024, Paramount Prince and Caitlinhergrtness, swing back into racing action in separate CA$150,000 graded stakes races Nov. 8 at Woodbine.
A 4-year-old Omaha Beach filly, Caitlinhergrtness cuts back to a sprint in second of the three stakes on the Saturday program, the Bessarabian Stakes, when she faces an overflow field in a 7-furlong contest over Woodbine's Tapeta surface. She is 3-2-0 in six starts on the main track at Woodbine, none of which have been in a sprint. Her last 10 starts have been at a mile or longer for Kevin Attard, Canada's Sovereign Award-winning trainer in 2024.
Emma-Jayne Wilson rides.
Paramount Prince is established at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Autumn Stakes, having won 3-of-4 at the trip at Woodbine. His only loss at the distance came in the 2024 Autumn when he weakened to eighth after setting the pace.
He faces 12 male rivals, while Caitlinhergrtness battles 13 fillies and mares. Another two females in the Bessarabian, Dolce Sopresa and Ellen Jay, are on the also-eligible list and would need scratches to compete.
The remaining stakes race at Woodbine on Saturday is the seven-horse Maple Leaf Stakes, a race for fillies and mares at the classic distance of 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta. Christopher Nolan's Long Ago, coming out of three consecutive grade 2 turf races United States pursues a stakes win in the Maple Leaf with a drop in class for trainer Billy Morey.
Hurricane Chair, For Flying, and Blitz are other leading contenders.
Clement Shippers to Challenge Caitlinhergrtness
Due to their depth and quality, the Bessarabian and the Autumn are the most compelling of the three stakes on Saturday.
Battling Caitlinhergrtness in the Bessarabian are last-out grade 3 stakes winners Love Cervere and Les Reys, both from the New York-based stable of trainer Miguel Clement.
Another U.S. shipper, Godolphin's Pondering, also looms a threat following a third-place finish in the Franklin Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland last month. A minor stakes winner at Ellis Park on grass over the summer for trainer Brendan Walsh, she is untested on Tapeta.
Stormcast, last year's Bessarabian winner, is also in action.
Late-Running Swift Delivery Opposes Paramount Prince
Paramount Prince, a front-running 5-year-old gelding by Society's Chairman owned by Michael Langlois and Gary Barber, is in search of his first stakes win since July 2024. The Mark Casse trainee romped to a 4-length allowance win in his most recent start, a third-level allowance optional claimer.
He will have to fend off the late rally of his stablemate Swift Delivery, who returns to his preferred surface on the Woodbine Tapeta after running 10th over the undulating Kentucky Downs turf course in the Sept. 6 Mint Millions Stakes (G3T). The late-running gelded son of Not This Time races for Barber, Team Valor International, Bruce Zoldan, Steven Rocco, and National Football League star Travis Kelce.
With Paramount Prince's regular rider, Patrick Husbands, staying aboard Swift Delivery, Pietro Moran gains the ride on Paramount Prince.
Paramount Prince and Swift Delivery face opposition from Borealis Trail, Funtastic Again, and Cool Kiss, recent grade 3 winners at Woodbine on the main track.
Woodbine, Saturday, November 8, 2025, Race 7Entries: Maple Leaf S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Hurricane Clair (ON) Eswan Flores 122 Martin Drexler 7/2 2 2For Flying (BRZ) Sahin Civaci 121 H. Graham Motion 6/1 3 3Dancing N Dixie (FL) Patrick Husbands 121 Mark E. Casse 8/1 4 4Long Ago (GB) Emma-Jayne Wilson 122 William E. Morey 3/1 5 5Blitz (KY) Ryan Munger 122 Mark E. Casse 2/1 6 6Queens Command (IRE) Fraser Aebly 122 Martin Drexler 10/1 7 7Sultana (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 122 Kevin Attard 12/1
Woodbine, Saturday, November 8, 2025, Race 9Entries: Bessarabian S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Love Cervere (KY) Sahin Civaci 123 Miguel Clement 6/1 2 2Les Reys (FR) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 123 Miguel Clement 4/1 3 3Serene Seraph (IRE) Xarel Forde 122 William I. Mott 10/1 4 4Tricky Temper (NY) Eswan Flores 122 Jeremiah C. Englehart 12/1 5 5Uphill Dance (KY) Jose Luis Campos 122 Rachel Halden 30/1 6 6Mo Fox Givin (KY) Pietro Moran 122 Mark E. Casse 15/1 7 7Bolt Enoree (ON) Da-Sean Zavier Gaskin 122 Steven Chircop 30/1 8 8Pondering (KY) Declan Cannon 121 Brendan P. Walsh 15/1 9 9A Little Frisky (ON) Fraser Aebly 122 Josie Carroll 20/1 10 10Shotgun Wedding (KY) Keveh Nicholls 121 James Bentley Begg 20/1 11 11Golden Canary (KY) Ryan Munger 122 Mark E. Casse 20/1 12 12Caitlinhergrtness (ON) Emma-Jayne Wilson 125 Kevin Attard 2/1 13 13Stormcast (ON) Patrick Husbands 121 Mark E. Casse 12/1 14 14Girl of My Dreams (KY) Joseph C. Bealmear 122 Anna M. Meah 20/1 15 15Dolce Sopresa (ON) Daisuke Fukumoto 121 Josie Carroll 20/1 16 16Ellen Jay (KY) Aurelien Lemaitre 121 Brad H. Cox 5/2
Woodbine, Saturday, November 8, 2025, Race 10Entries: HPIbet Autumn S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Swift Delivery (KY) Patrick Husbands 124 Mark E. Casse 3/1 2 2Paramount Prince (ON) Pietro Moran 123 Mark E. Casse 8/1 3 3Dresden Row (KY) Ryan Munger 122 Lorne Richards 4/1 4 4Loose Wire (ON) Aurelien Lemaitre 123 Kevin Attard 20/1 5 5Map's a Breeze (ON) Fraser Aebly 123 Josie Carroll 20/1 6 6Borealis Trail (ON) Jose Luis Campos 122 Rachel Halden 20/1 7 7Funtastic Again (KY) Victor Espinoza 124 Wesley A. Ward 5/2 8 8Cameo Performance (KY) Declan Cannon 122 Brendan P. Walsh 10/1 9 9Classic Mo Town (FL) Eswan Flores 124 Martin Drexler 30/1 10 10Jokestar (ON) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 123 Kevin Attard 20/1 11 11Cool Kiss (ON) Sahin Civaci 124 Martin Drexler 15/1 12 12Wyoming Bill (ON) Emma-Jayne Wilson 123 Catherine Day Phillips 20/1 13 13Lost Ark (KY) Jalon L. Samuel 122 Krista Cole 30/1
