She comes into the Queen’s Plate off a brilliant effort, one that left her just short of victory in the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, but one that stamped her as a contender in Sunday’s “Gallop for the Guineas.” Can she become the first filly to win the Plate since Dancethruthedawn achieved the feat in 2001?
Under a patient ride from Robert Landry (winner of the 2004 Queen’s Plate aboard Niigon), Moment of Majesty looked like an unstoppable force as she rallied strongly around the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile Oaks on June 13. At the wire, the daughter of Saint Liam was headed by Roan Inish, whom she’ll meet in the Plate.
“She ran a tremendous race,” praised Landry, of the effort that earned the filly a career-best 92 Beyer Figure (Daily Racing Form speed rating). “She absolutely ran her heart out. I had a perfect trip. I thought we were going to get there, but Roan Inish dug in, too. I was so impressed with my horse, just very, very proud of her.”
Moment of Majesty (supplemented to the Plate for $25,000) is co-owned by future Hall of Fame goaltender Curtis Joseph (Don Meehan and Sue Leslie are the other owners). They’ve been to the Plate before, with Millennium Allstar in 2001, who won the Achievement Stakes, before finishing second in both the Queenston Stakes and Plate Trial, but eighth in the Plate. With a couple of other hockey players, the group went in on a horse called Ice Agent, who contested the 1995 Queen’s Plate.
“It probably would have been better to have given the filly another week, and the Bison City (July 11, middle jewel of the Triple Tiara) was very attractive,” said Leslie, discussing the group’s decision to run in the Plate. “But you don't often get the chance to run in the Queen's Plate.”
Moment of Majesty’s three stakes appearances prior to the Oaks, all contested at 1 1/16 miles, yielded one fifth (Princess Elizabeth) and two thirds (Ontario Lassie and La Lorgnette).
On May 1, ‘Moment’ led at every call, notching a three-length win. In the La Lorgnette, she was three lengths behind the ultra-talented Biofuel. “In the two starts before the Oaks, no one had wanted the lead, so she found herself in front. You can only hold her up for so long. I thought she ran a competitive race in the La Lorgnette.”
She might not be the biggest of fillies, but the Leslie trainee isn’t shy about tangling with the big boys and girls. “She was quick to accept new challenges from the outset,” said Leslie, of the Ontario-bred. “And she does it all with class. From the start, she had an attitude of, ‘I’m good.’”
Moment of Majesty’s first start came on August 27, 2009, a six-furlong Polytrack race at Woodbine. Sent off at 7-1, she finished a respectable fourth, four lengths behind Velvet Moss. After a fifth-place finish three weeks later, Moment of Majesty broke her maiden courtesy of a 2 ½-length win at one mile and 70 yards on the Toronto oval ‘Poly.’
"She’s still learning the game,” said Leslie. “The biggest improvement would be in her mental attitude. Early on, she was somewhat nervous, a cautious filly. Now, she’s very confident and relaxed. I think Rob (jockey Landry) has done a great job with her. He’s been able to get her to settle in the mornings.”
“She’s her own woman,” said Leslie. “She hits the ground very light and has a beautiful stride.”
Owner - Curtis Joseph, Don Meehan and Sue Leslie
Just about everybody who knows hockey knows Curtis Joseph. The former All-Star goaltender appeared in 943 NHL games, winning 454 of them, along with 51 career shutouts. Joseph announced his retirement on January 12, 2010 in Toronto.
The 43-year-old was awarded the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contributions in 2000. He was also a serious Vezina Trophy candidate as the NHL’s top goaltender and Hart Trophy prospect as the league’s most valuable player several times.
Joseph was also a member of Canada's gold medal winning team at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
He’s a lifelong lover of horses and animals, but didn’t get involved in owning racehorses until his agent Don Meehan approached him. With a couple of other hockey players, the group went in on a horse called Ice Agent, who participated in the 1995 Queen’s Plate.
Don Meehan is one of hockey’s most powerful agents, representing some of the sport’s best players.
Sue Leslie is the trainer/horse expert of the four. Her career highlight, as an owner, was winning her first race in 1983 and first stakes event in 1984 with Beau Accent. ‘Beau,’ under Leslie’s Able Farms, won the Landaluce Visitation Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Trainer – Sue Leslie
Sue Leslie has been around horses all her life. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario, but lived in Texas and Florida for many years and still maintains a home in south Florida, spending the winters at Gulfstream, saddling a handful of starters each meet.
She trains, but also owns pieces of her racing stock. “I pretty much own a majority of the horses that I train. It doesn’t put a question mark in the minds of owners as my money is affected in each decision that I make. I think it gives the owners some reassurance if the trainer is part of them.”
Leslie had a very high-profile 2001 season, training Millennium Allstar through a well-publicized Queen's Plate run, winning the Achievement Stakes with the three-year-old, finishing second in both the Queenston Stakes and Plate Trial, but eighth on Plate Day.
In 2004, Leslie upped her win total to 14 from the 10 she won in 2003, including three victories on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. Her average win payout in 2002 was a healthy $25.60. In 2005, Leslie starters produced 33 top-three finishes from 96 starts. In 2006, the conditioner had 22 top-three finishes. In 2007, Leslie saddled five winners and 23 top-three finishes, followed by four wins and 35 top-three placings the next year. Last season, Leslie had eight wins, including two with Awesome Action.
Leslie, who won her first career race as a trainer with Starlite Cruisin on April 6, 1997, is the President of the local chapter of the H.B.P.A., serves on the board of the LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, is a Steward with the Jockey Club of Canada and is the President and Chair of OHRIA.
Jockey – Robert Landry
Born September 18, 1962 in Toronto, Rob Landry scored his first career win aboard Hammy Hubert, June 21, 1981 at Fort Erie. He won his first stakes race the following year aboard La Salle Park in the Fair Play.
Landry was Canada’s outstanding jockey in 1993 and 1994 and led all Woodbine riders in stakes wins in 1993 (13), 1994 (18) and 1996 (18). He also rode five consecutive champion two-year-old fillies (Larkwhistle, 1996; Primaly, ‘97; Fantasy Lake, ‘98; Hello Seattle, ‘99; Poetically, ‘00) during their Sovereign-winning years. In 1999, he won the Atto Mile aboard Sam-Son Farm’s Quiet Resolve ($91.10 to win), one of the biggest upsets in Woodbine stakes history.
In 2001, despite dealing with another mid-season injury, Landry managed to post a solid season, winning 53 races and $3,361,586 (seventh-best amongst riders). He won five stakes that year, including the Durham Cup on Sovereign Award-winning Older Horse A Fleets Dancer.
In 2002, Landry won eight stakes with eight different horses and accumulated over $4.2 million in purses, the second-highest in his career. He ranked 12th overall in wins with 51.
In 2003, Landry finished tied for 13th in wins (48), including five stakes and eighth in purses ($4 million), despite missing eight weeks recovering from injuries in a spill. His season highlights came on the same day, June 8, when he was first presented with the Avelino Gomez Award for career accomplishments, then captured the Woodbine Oaks for the third time aboard favoured Too Late Now.
The 2004 season will be fondly remembered by Landry, highlighted by his first Queen’s Plate win aboard Niigon after 13 previous attempts to win Canada’s most famous race. Overall, he finished sixth in purses with over $3.8 million (four stakes) and 12th in wins (52). His Plate win completed a Triple Crown of sorts for the Toronto resident, after having previously won the other two legs, the Prince of Wales with Archers Bay in 1998 and the Breeders’ Stakes with Pinafore Park the same year.
In 2005, Landry finished 10th with 51 wins and over $3.5 million in earnings. He rode six different horses to seven stakes wins at Woodbine, pulling off a major upset with Awesome Action in the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes. In 2006, Landry piloted Sam-Son’s champion two-year-old filly Catch the Thrill to a victory in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes. In 2007, Landry won five stakes with three different horses (Ontario Jockey Club and Labeeb with Awesome Action; Vice Regent and Bunty Lawless with Rahy’s Attorney and Mt. Sassafras with Sail From Seattle). Two years ago, Landry won 57 races, and took five stakes, including the Eternal Search and Passing Mood with Authenicat.
In 2009, Landry won his 2,000th career race on July 1, Canada Day, with Firetheexecutive. He took four local stakes wins with four different horses and also partnered Canadian-based Careless Jewel to wins in the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks, the Grade 1 Alabama and the Fitz Dixon Cotillion.