The $1 million King’s Plate Stakes at Woodbine typically draws a large field. The historic race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds born in Canada is that country’s equivalent to the Kentucky Derby and is even held over the same 1 ¼-mile distance, albeit on an all-weather Tapeta Footings surface rather than dirt.

Sometimes the large field yields surprising outcomes, like in 2020, when Mighty Heart and Belichick finished first and second at odds of 13.25-1 and 26.60-1, respectively. Other times a standout favorite beats all comers in resounding fashion, like in 2018 when the accomplished filly Wonder Gadot romped by 4 ¾ lengths.

Watch ABR's King's Plate livestream! Click to set reminder.

The 2024 King’s Plate, originally slated for Aug. 17 but rescheduled due to inclement weather for Friday, Aug. 23, appears more likely to produce a 2018 outcome than a 2020 surprise. Even though 13 horses were entered, this edition seems unlikely to produce a longshot winner. That’s because morning-line favorite #7 My Boy Prince (7-5) has proved almost unbeatable on Woodbine’s Tapeta surface and looks mighty tough to defeat while sticking to his favorite track.

Trained by Mark Casse, who has won this race three times, My Boy Prince has been a force to be reckoned with since last year. He finished second in his debut sprinting on the Woodbine Tapeta main track, but dominated his next two starts on the same surface, most notably winning the Simcoe Stakes by a jaw-dropping 14 lengths.

My Boy Prince then switched to turf for a tough series of stakes. In the one-mile, Grade 1 bet365 Summer Stakes, he set the pace before tiring slightly to finish second behind Carson’s Run, who won the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes last week. My Boy Prince next took on the Cup and Saucer Stakes restricted to horses foaled in Canada and led all the way to dominate by 4 ¼ lengths while never asked for his best.

My Boy Prince wrapped up 2023 in the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Park. Facing an international field, he performed best of the North American runners, finishing third by 1 ½ lengths after tracking the early pace and leading in midstretch.

My Boy Prince gets a bath at Woodbine. (Woodbine/Michael Burns)

After taking five months off, My Boy Prince was beaten to eighth place in the Palisades Stakes sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on turf at Keeneland. He thenreturned to Woodbine and proceeded to win three straight races on the all-weather track: the King Corrie Stakes by 6 ¾ lengths, the Queenston Stakes by 4 ½ lengths, and the Plate Trial Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths. In the last of the three, a race restricted to horses foaled in Canada, My Boy Prince reared at the start and dropped farther off the pace than usual, but he overcame the adversity to rally strongly in the stretch and win comfortably.

Since the Plate Trial, My Boy Prince has worked a fast half-mile (in :47), suggesting he’s ready for another strong performance Friday. He retains the services of Woodbine’s leading jockey Sahin Civaci, who has won with 27% of his Woodbine mounts this year. According to Brisnet statistics, Civaci and Casse have gone 15-for-60 (25%) teaming up together over the last two months.

In short, what’s not to like? My Boy Prince brings terrific past performances into the King’s Plate and is hands-down the horse to beat. No matter what types of bets you choose to place on the King’s Plate, we recommend counting wholeheartedly on My Boy Prince to deliver a victory.

Who are the other key contenders? Since a pure win bet on My Boy Prince won’t pay a lot, solving exotic wagers like the exacta and trifecta is the path to boosting your return on investment. But to do so, we must identify the horses most likely to finish second and third.

Essex Serpent winning Marine. (Woodbine/Michael Burns)

#3 Essex Serpent (2-1), another Casse trainee, has a strong chance to factor under Patrick Husbands, who guided Casse’s Paramount Prince to victory in the 2023 King’s Plate. Essex Serpent finished second behind My Boy Prince in the Queenston Stakes, then led for much of the way to win the 1 1/16-mile, Grade 3 HPIbet Marine Stakes at Woodbine by one length over next-out Kentucky Downs Preview Nashville Derby winner Cameo Performance.

#2 Rafaroo (8-1) might be winless in two starts, but he finished second behind My Boy Prince in the Plate Trial and is progressing in the right direction. The filly #4 Caitlinhergrtness (12-1) is also worth a long look after making her Tapeta debut with a close runner-up effort in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois. And don’t count #5 Midnight Mascot (10-1) out of the mix; he finished second to My Boy Prince in the King Corrie and third to Essex Serpent in the Marine.

Depending on how much money you want to spend, we have two different strategies for betting the King’s Plate:

Wagering Strategy on a $10 Budget

$10 exacta: 7 with 3

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, Race 11, $10 exacta 7 with 3

Wagering Strategy on a $30 Budget

$15 exacta: 7 with 3

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, Race 11, $15 exacta 7 with 3

$3 trifecta: 7 with 3 with 2,4,5 ($9)

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, Race 11, $3 trifecta 7 with 3 with 2,4,5

$2 trifecta: 7 with 2,4,5 with 3 ($6)

What to say at the betting window: Woodbine, Race 11, $2 trifecta 7 with 2,4,5 with 3

Good luck, and enjoy the race!