TORONTO, Canada (CMC) — Legendary Barbadian rider Patrick Husbands conjured up a brilliant gate-to-wire effort aboard 8-1 choice Paramount Prince to win the 164th running of the $1-million King’s Plate at Woodbine here on Sunday, August 20, 2023.

Going a mile and quarter for the three-year-olds in the feature on the 13-race programme, Husbands put the chestnut gelding to the front from the break and then held off stablemate Elysian Field in the deep stretch to take the wire 1½ lengths clear.

The time of 2:01.93 was just outside Moira’s track record of 2:01.48 in last year’s event.

For Husbands, the conquest marked his third Kings Plate (previously called the Queen’s Plate but renamed this year to reflect King Charles’ ascension to the throne in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The 50-year-old’s previous wins came in 2014 with Lexie Lou and in 2003 with the incomparable Wando, when he went on to win the Triple Crown.

“[This is] unbelievable. It’s a great feeling,” said an elated Husbands who won the Plate Trial with Paramount Prince in an identical, front-running performance.

“I want to dedicate this race to Ricky Griffith [late Barbadian jockey and conditioner] who [is responsible] for all of us [Barbadian riders] being here today.

“He’s not here today but I know he’s watching us. This race is for Ricky, it’s not for me.”

The 58-year-old Griffith died earlier this month from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Going off in North America’s oldest continuously running thoroughbred race, Husbands broke Paramount Prince nicely and settled him at the front, producing easy splits of 23.28 seconds for the quarter and 47.41 for the half to open up a two-length lead.

Rank longshot Silent Miracle tracked from second just ahead of another rank longshot Velocitor, while 4-1 chance Elysian Field also chased.

The lead narrowed on the backstretch, and inside the three-eighths Velocitor and Elysian Field had drawn to within a length of Paramount Prince.

Husbands took the field into the stretch, however, and pulled away under a right-handed whip while Elysian Field, Velocitor and a fast-finishing 4-1 chance Stanley House all attempted to chase, but came up short.

“At the end of the day you’ve got to let the horses talk and don’t get too cocky,” said Husbands who gave trainer Mark Casse his third King’s Plate victory.

“I had a clean break. I let him do what he likes to do best and he just enjoyed the running. I asked him to get over on his right lead and he was just gone.”

Casse last won the King’s Plate in 2018 with Wonder Gadot, having combined Husbands to clinch his maiden success with Lexie Lou.

“There’s a lot of speed, as I’ve talked about,” said Casse. “He’s so quick from the gate and that’s where he won it. He outbroke them and I knew when he went by us the first time he was travelling well.

“I was with [owner] Gary Barber and we saw the half in 47 [seconds] and I said, ‘That’s not too bad.’ And that Elysian Fields, she’s tough,;she came up. But, it was a dream come true.”

On his long-standing successful partnership with Husbands, Casse said: “We’ve had great luck together. I don’t know how many races we’ve won together, 1,600?”

The King’s Plate is the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, which will be completed by the CAN$400, 000 Prince of Wales Stakes on September 12 at Fort Erie and the $400,000 Breeder’s Stakes back at Woodbine on October 1.