It's become a tradition to hold a morning breakfast on the Thursday before the running of Canada's premier event for three-year-olds, the $1,000,000 Queen's Plate, restricted to Canadian-breds. The oldest continuously run stakes race in North America has its 154^th renewal down for decision on Sunday, July 6^th, at Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale, a suburb of Toronto that lies within hailing distance of Lester B. Pearson International Airport. Carded as the 10^th event of the afternoon, the race has been set to start at 5:38 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (3:08 a.m. on Monday in India).

The draw takes place at this breakfast get-together and the connections of Up With The Birds (by Stormy Atlantic) got the opportunity of making the first selection. They chose to position their charge right in the middle of the 12-horse field, which means he will start from gate 7. This favourable slot, allied to an excellent race record – he has won four of his last five starts – means that Up With The Birds is the pre-race favourite for the race at 2 to 1. Trainer Malcolm Pierce will saddle the home-bred for Sam Son Farm, and Brazilian ace Eurico Rosa Da Silva will continue his association.

One unknown is the distance – very few runners in North America find 10 fur. to be their trip and Up With The Birds is by a sire better known for sprinter-milers. That said, his grandam ran second in this very event in her year (1991) and might have imparted some stamina to him. And his style of racing – he has a strong late kick – hints at more to come.

He'll have to break the skein of losing favourites – in the last 18 years only a couple have obliged, Wando in 2003 and Eye Of The Leopard in 2009. "He’s an easy horse to train, not hard on himself.  He’s medium-sized but he carries good weight. I think the timing’s good. I want to go into the Plate with a fresh horse,” said Pierce, about his ward, who last raced six weeks ago.

Incidentally, Sam Son Farm have annexed the Plate five times already, with Regal Intention (in 1988), Dance Smartly (in 1991), Scatter The Gold (in 2000), Dancethruthedawn (in 2001) and Eye Of The Leopard (in 2009). This year they are double handed, as they also field His Race to Win, like the favourite a son of Stormy Atlantic. What makes this 10 to 1 chance particularly interesting is the fact that connections have been able to requisition the services of North America's top rider, Johnny Velasquez. However, the colt's style of racing and connections' comments when taken together suggest his long term future would lie around a mile on turf, and not over further on Polytrack.

More suited to the trip than the above pair, and this column's idea of the probable winner is the filly Nipissing, a daughter of a previous winner of this race in the shape of the ill-fated Niigon, who is quoted at 7 to 2. Scheduled to depart from gate no. 9, she will be aiming to add to the relatively favourable record of members of her sex in this prize, 34 of them having previously succeeded, including Inglorious a couple of years ago. She will carry 121 lbs., receiving 5 lbs. from her male opponents.

Named after a lake about 3 hours drive to the North of Woodbine racetrack, she is trained by the British-born Rachel Halden and will be steered by Steve Bahen for owner-breeders Chiefswood Farms, one of the bigger players on the Canadian Turf. "She does all her running down the lane," said Bahen after her Woodbine Oaks (9 fur.) victory on June 9^th. "I had to knuckle on her coming to the quarter pole, but once she switches leads that's when her gears really come into effect and she ran them down." Bahen's only previous win in the Plate came on an 82 to 1 shocker, T J's Lucky Moon, back in 2002.

Perennially amongst the leading trainers at Woodbine is Mark Casse, who somehow has not been able to add his name to the scroll of honour for this race, although he has won virtually everything else at the track. He has chosen to tackle his drought by saddling four runners this time around, fully a third of the field!

Theoretically, his best chance comes through the Plate Trial Stakes winner Dynamic Sky (by Sky Mesa), who has the riding hero of 2013 aboard, Joel Rosario. The young Dominican leads the North American jockeys' list by earnings at present, having steered Orb to a Kentucky Derby win and Animal Kingdom to a Dubai World Cup triumph. And he has ridden Dynamic Sky before, so is familiar with him. The pair will break from stall no. 2 at expected odds of 4 to 1.

Owner John Oxley and Casse team up with another runner as well, namely Spring in the Air (by Spring At Last), a 10-1 chance. Last year this filly looked like cleaning up but had a setback in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in the US at the end of the year. It's been a struggle getting her back to her peak form this term but her trainer is bullish: "It’s taken her a little while but I think she’s at the top of her game,” he said.

To guide her, connections have opted for the vastly experienced Gary Boulanger, who has made a miraculous comeback in the saddle after a break of eight years caused by severe injuries following a horrific fall at Gulfstream Park, Florida, in January 2005. The 46-year-old Boulanger, who will set off from gate no. 4, had previously ridden Dancethruthedawn to victory in this race. Spring In The Air will also enjoy a five-pound pull in the weights.

Casse's other pair are the outsiders Kaigun (by Northern Afleet), and Jagger M (by Harlan's Holiday), both at 20-1. The former is the least experienced runner in the field, with only three starts under his belt. He will however have the services of British Columbia native, Justin Stein, in the saddle, the rider having guided last year's hero Straits Of Dover to victory. Jagger M, with Shaun Bridgmohan at the controls, has to his credit a victory over Dynamic Sky earlier this year but was unplaced behind that rival in the Plate Trial on June 9^th.

Followers of the Indian Turf are sure to have heard of champion sire Always A Rainbow, who stands at Chettinad Stud. When racing, this handsome Canadian-bred chestnut was schooled by veteran Mark Frostad, whose family owned Bo-Teek Farms in Ontario. During his 23-year career as a trainer he has sent out four Queen's Plate winners, and is no doubt hoping to add to that number through either 6 to 1 Pyrite Mountain (by Silent Name) or 30 to 1 outsider County Lineman (also by Silent Name).

Earlier this year the former defeated last year's champion Uncaptured in the Wando Stakes but slightly disappointed when only fourth in the Plate Trial. About that effort Frostad said: “I thought he ran a great race. The first quarter was a good solid quarter, then they slowed it down in the next two quarters. That didn’t help him.  It gave him a lot to do, but he was getting there late and he galloped out very strongly. So I was very pleased with the effort. It’s tough to close into a pace like that.” Mexican-born Luis Contreras has been on fire at Woodbine during the last two years, with 212 and 195 winners respectively, and will be aiming for a repeat, he having piloted Inglorious to her 2011 win in the Plate.

Panamanian Alex Solis, who has spent significant time at Woodbine and is closing in on a target of 5,000 career wins, has been booked for County Lineman, whose record is spotty. “He’s not a bad horse now.  He might surprise a few people,” said Frostad.

Midnight Aria (by Midnight Lute), drawn 1, is a big, strapping sort who flashes early speed and tries to carry it all the way to the line. Conditioned by Nick Gonzalez, who knows what it takes to win here, the 15 to 1 choice will have the services of Jesse Campbell aboard.

Stablemate of the above-named, River Seven (by Johannesburg), has been consistently finishing on the board at all but the most recent of his 6 starts. That loss is easily explained as the gelding nearly fell on his nose while emerging from the starting gate. While he has the experienced Todd Kabel as his partner, he appears to lack that little extra that separates good horses from champions.

Rackman (by Niigon), who starts to the immediate outside of the public choice with veteran Jim McAleney on board, has only a maiden win – that too in a dead heat at his most recent start – to his credit. That accounts for the 50 to 1 quoted about Mike and Nick Nosowenko's homebred gelding, trained by the latter, who completes the field.