Rackman back in Queen’s Plate

Rackman is once again expected to line up in the Queen’s Plate on Sunday (WEG/Michael Burns Photography) Rackman, a dark bay son of 2004 Queen’s Plate champ Niigon, is hoping to follow in his famous father’s hoofsteps in the C$1 million Queen’s Plate on Sunday at Woodbine. Trainer Nick Nosowenko took Rackman out Queen’s Plate consideration after the gelding’s six furlong breeze in 1:14 1/5 on June 30 went awry. However, on Wednesday, Nosowenko announced that he has reconsidered and will enter Rackman in Sunday’s Gallop for the Guineas. “I overreacted. I was more mad at the riders than the horse, the horse does what he’s told,” Nosowenko explained about the in-company work that fell apart. “He came back and cleaned out his feed tub, and he was a terror in the shed row the next morning. The horse deserves a chance. He’s telling me to run.” A homebred gelding of the father-son combo of Mike and Nick Nosowenko, Rackman only recently cleared his maiden status with a roller coaster trip on June 1 when he dead-heated with Dragon Puff in a maiden allowance route.

Among those the sophomore will face in Sunday’s 154th consecutive edition of
the Canadian classic are four horses trained by five-time Sovereign Award winner
Mark Casse. Despite his numerable accomplishments, Casse is still seeking his first win in the
Queen’s Plate.

Spring in the Air is one of the
quartet and one of two fillies in the field. The daughter of Spring at
Last was Canada’s champion two-year-old filly last year, winning
two of five starts including the Alcibiades at Keeneland.

This year, the bay miss took the Fury in May prior to finishing
second to Nipissing in the Woodbine Oaks on June 9 as the favorite. She’ll meet
Nipissing again in the Plate but she’ll be ridden for the first time by jockey
Gary Boulanger, who piloted filly Dancethruthedawn to a Plate triumph in 2001.

In the Oaks, she trailed the field of eight for most of the
1 1/8-mile contest before putting in a good run around the far turn and into
the stretch, eventually finishing three-quarters of a length behind Nipissing.

“Even (jockey) Joel (Rosario) said maybe he was too far
back,” Casse stated. “I don’t know. I thought she had her opportunity to win. I
just think Nipissing outran her that day. We had every chance to beat her but
she proved best. Hopefully we can move up a length or two (in the Plate).

“I’m really happy that we got the extra week (between the Oaks and the
Plate). Instead of three weeks, we got a month and she’s at the top of her game.
I think Gary (Boulanger) fits her just perfect.”

Spring in the Air will be trying to become the 35th filly to win the Queen’s/King’s
Plate and the seventh to do so since 1956, when Woodbine opened. The last filly
to win was Inglorious in 2011.

Recently-retired, Inglorious will be paraded as part of the festivities at the race’s breakfast draw
on Thursday. Luis Contreras will accompany Donver Stable’s now
five-year-old mare for trainer Josie Carroll to the walking ring for the 9:30 a.m.
(EDT) ceremony.

Thursday’s Queen’s Plate morning draw from
the Woodbine walking ring will be streamed live at
queensplate.com. Further
information and event details for Plate day are available there.

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