Woodbine Welcomes Back Queen’s Plate Champion Paramount Prince

In this biweekly series, our racing analyst J. Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing equine athletes scheduled to compete in the near future.

Heading the list this edition is last year’s Queen’s Plate winner, Paramount Prince. The Mark Casse-trained star has proven to be a force over the Tapeta track at Woodbine, most recently delivering a convincing victory in the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Dominion Day Stakes. After setting modest fractions of 24.83, 49.47, and 1:12.93, the 4-year-old colt unleashed a blistering final quarter-mile in 23.34 seconds to coast to a 3 3/4-length triumph in a final time of 1:49.35.

“Upcoming Tapeta targets at the Toronto oval such as the July 27 Seagram Cup (G2), September 28 Durham Cup (G3), and November 9 Autumn (G2) appear well-suited for the talented runner, earning him a prominent spot on Johnson’s watch list.”

Another horse generating buzz is the up-and-coming sprinter Subrogate. The 4-year-old son of Arrogate remained undefeated in sprint races by dominating a $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Belmont at the Big A on June 29th. Pressing quick fractions of 22.85 and 45.09, Subrogate drew off emphatically to win by six lengths, completing the 6 1/2 furlongs in a swift 1:15.45 and earning a lofty 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Veteran mare Ova Charged continued her remarkable run, capturing the $125,000 Chicken Fried Stakes at Lone Star Park for her seventh consecutive victory. The 6-year-old Louisiana-bred now boasts an astonishing 15 wins from 18 career starts, with an unblemished 5-for-5 record on the turf.

Raging Torrent, a promising 3-year-old sprinter trained by Doug O’Neill, scored his first stakes triumph in the seven-furlong Maxfield at Churchill Downs, drawing clear to win by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:22.04.

As for horses worth another try, Johnson will monitor the progress of Churchill Downs maiden winner Adeera, Travers runner-up Disarm, and the talented but inconsistent Extra Añejo and First Mission.

Looking ahead, the analyst has his eye on Barksdale, who will attempt to bounce back from a tough outing in the Woody Stephens (G1) when switching to turf in Thursday’s Dade Park Dash at Ellis Park.

Stay tuned for more updates from Johnson’s handicapping watch list in the coming weeks as the racing season heats up across North America.

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