Horse: Get Down
Post Position: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Jockey: Richard Migliore

Trainer: Nancy Triola

Owners: West Point Thoroughbreds

• Get Down very quickly became the 'wise guy' horse of this year's Canadian-bred three-year-old crop, so much so that he was hammered down to 7-5 in his first Woodbine stakes try, the Plate Trial Stakes. Why not? He sported an undefeated local record with each of his three victories more impressive than the previous one.

• For those that expected a win in the Plate Trial, the performance of the son of Doneraile Court would have been a let down. But for trainer Nancy Triola, the effort proved that Get Down could compete with the division's best at a route of ground. "I'm happy with him. He really didn't have a clue. I've been breezing him a full mile, trying to get him to focus for the whole two turns. But it's not the same when you run (in a race). I thought we were going to be close (to the pace) and we were. When he got to the 3/8ths pole, he wasn't paying attention anymore. Those horses came up on him. It took him a little while to figure out what was going on. To be honest, at the quarter-pole, it looked like we were going to be beaten nine lengths. Once he figured it out and Slade (Callaghan) kind of swung him out, he came flying and he only got beat two lengths. It was a learning experience."

• In mid-stretch, Callaghan angled Get Down out to the middle of the track, a maneuver which helped the colt finish stronger. "Slade thought that he would like it a little better to get out there and have one run. That way he galloped out great. If you get in there, and everybody backs into you, you don't get the gallop out. It was a good move."

• Get Down debuted October 17 in a 6 _-furlong maiden allowance race in which he won by 1 • lengths after leading at every call, much to the surprise of Triola. "You could have told me any other horse was going to be on the lead, just through how he was working." He returned November 20 at seven furlongs, rating nicely in fifth and unleashing a powerful middle move, crossing the wire 4 • lengths in front and hinting at a bright future.

• Ending his two-year-old season undefeated, Get Down wintered in Ocala, Florida. Triola raced him in the Sam F Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 26, finishing 10th, beaten 20 • lengths to Belmont Stakes runner-up, Andromeda's Hero. "It just wasn't his day and it wasn't his race. He ended up getting slammed twice on the first turn. We've totally written it off."

• Freshened off the Tampa 'disaster,' Get Down resumed his quest for the Plate in an allowance race, a seven furlong dash in which his long, powerful strides turned many heads. "I was excited going into that race," recalled Triola. "He got to relax and explode at the head of the lane. He won by 8 • lengths in a hand ride."

• Triola rides Get Down daily, describing him as a 'tough' horse. "He wants to do too much in the mornings. I use a pretty strong bridle called a Citation. You have to have something on him that tells him he can't go, otherwise he will. He's a bit of a brat. He likes to bite. I look after him and he'll bite and kick. He doesn't mean anything by it. He's playing. He just doesn't realize you're much smaller and it hurts."

• Get Down will be ridden for the first time by world-class jockey Richard Migliore, who rides a number of horses for West Point in the United States, in the Queen's Plate. "He's New York-based, and Kiaran McLaughlin and Rick Violette are there. He rides pretty much first call for both of them. For $1 million, they want to pull out everything. It's not very often you get to run for that much. Migliore watches tapes better than most jocks anywhere. He'll analyze all the tapes of the horses and he'll know where everybody's going to be before I even talk to him."

• "He actually went through the sale with the name Get Down. I'm not sure how he got it, but it's a great name though." It's certainly a catchy enough name to print on 150 bright yellow T-shirts, an endeavor of excited part-owner Sherm Cunningham, a Canadian who is part of the West Point group. "He's been in with West Point for a few years and has been in with nice horses, but nothing up here. It's the first West Point horse that comes to Canada and he's going to run in the Queen's Plate. He's just ecstatic. He thought it would be fun. Let him have his fun. It's like a once in a lifetime thing, he might as well enjoy it."

Owner - West Point Thoroughbreds

West Point was founded in 1991 by a graduate of West Point military academy named Terry Finley, a one-time Army captain of eight years. The New Jersey company brings together investors to form racing partnerships. Syndicating nearly 150 horses worth over $18 million, West Point is one of the most successful racing partnership companies in Thoroughbred racing. The company currently manages the portfolios for nearly 300 investors and a stable of approximately 60 horses at various stages of training.

West Point Thoroughbreds is coming off its finest year ever in 2004. The stable was led by multiple graded stakes winner Seattle Fitz, who retired last October as the winningest horse in the group's history with $592,935 in earnings. The outfit established new stable records for starts (175), wins (34), in-the-money finishes (81) and purse earnings ($1,301,224). So far in 2005, West Point has 12 wins, 15 seconds, nine thirds and earnings of $514,128.

Before Get Down, a horse has never raced or been stabled under the West Point banner in Canada. When Finley and Rich Cristiano discovered Nancy Triola, whom they knew from her days with trainer Rick Violette, was starting a stable in Canada, West Point worked to find a suitable horse for her in the Canadian market. As a result, West Point found Manitoba-bred Get Down at the March 13, 2004 Ocala Two-Year-Olds Training Sale where he sold for $37,000 U.S. Triola is preparing for the arrival of a two-year-old filly owned by West Point later this year.

Fifteen investors own Get Down, with Kleinburg resident Sherman Cunningham, 68, owning 20 per cent. Cunningham is the owner of Electro Sources Inc., a company that is an agent for electronic components manufacturers with the Canadian rights to represent such companies as Texas Instruments and Toshiba. Cunningham has owned horses with West Point Thoroughbreds for the past six years, including Swale Stakes winner Ethan Man. Cunningham, a former radar specialist in the Royal Canadian Air Force, has had two West Point horses named after him - Sherm and The Sherminator. Get Down and Cunningham have become known in the U.S. as a result of a 60-second television commercial airing on the TVG Network featuring his exuberant audio call of Get Down winning his Nov. 20 allowance at Woodbine.

West Point Thoroughbreds, which is on the world wide web at "westpointtb.com," uses the services of notable bloodstock agent Buzz Chace, for its purchases, and employs a top roster of trainers including Craig Dollase, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart and Rick Violette, Jr. with stables maintained in New York, Florida, Kentucky, and, most recently, a newly opened southern California operation.

"We are all so excited to participate in Canada's most prestigious race. Get Down has always been a talented and honest performer. We know he'll show up on Plate Day. If he's good enough we'll stand in the winner's circle," says Finley.

Trainer - Nancy Triola

The ink was barely dry on Nancy Triola's training licence on October 17 when she unsaddled first-time out winner Get Down in the Woodbine winner's circle minutes after her first career start. Eight months later, the new conditioner is on the cusp of Queen's Plate history. If her talented three-year-old wins the "Guineas," Triola would be the first woman ever to win the classic.

Triola's involvement with horses began at the age of 12 when she worked with hunters and jumpers on a farm, which also broke thoroughbreds. One thing led to another, and she found herself invited to the racetrack in her mid-teens and has never looked back. She began galloping racehorses at the age of 15.

In 1998, the Barrie native spent the winter in Florida with Appealing Phylly. While there, Triola met a variety of different people, including trainer Rick Violette who offered her a job on the New York circuit. "I thought it would be a good learning experience."

Triola spent seven years as an assistant to Violette. At the beginning of 2004, with the support of husband-to-be Bobby Triola (also a trainer), Nancy opted to move back to her native Ontario and train her own string of racehorses. "No better place than home. It made sense, especially with (newborn daughter) Danielle on her way."

No matter how long she worked in the United States, the Queen's Plate holds special significance. "It's always been in the back of my mind, since I came to Woodbine to gallop when I was 15," she says. "People would say what race would you really want to win? They thought I would say something in the States like the Travers. I said 'the Queen's Plate would be amazing.' And they said 'Oh yeah, you're Canadian.' I said 'Yeah. The Queen's Plate is our Kentucky Derby."

Jockey - Richard Migliore

Richard Migliore is known in the racing world as "The Mig," a fighter jet made famous in the movie "Top Gun." The 41-year-old received the nickname for his tenacious style of riding.

In 2004, Migliore won 149 times in 873 starts for a 17.1% win percentage. Only nine of his wins took place outside the New York circuit. His mounts earned $8,058,110 in purses. He won a Grade One stakes event with Friends Lake (Florida Derby) and also guided, among others, Artie Schiller (Jamaica Handicap, Hill Prince), West Point runner Seattle Fitz (Brooklyn Handicap), Randaroo (Distaff Stakes), Smok'n Frolic (Next Move Handicap) and Redskin Warrior (Best Turn Stakes) to added-money scores.

Migliore didn't journey to Woodbine in 2004, but in 2003 he won the E.P. Taylor Stakes with Volga. In 2002, he piloted Wando to victory in the Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes. In 2001, he was part of a thrilling Atto Mile finish with Affirmed Success, finishing third.
In 2002, Migliore won 157 races and had nearly $8.7-million in purse earnings from 1,016 mounts. In 2001, the 5'4" rider reeled off 187 wins in 1,091 starts and finished the campaign with $8,918,889 in earnings.

In 1997, Migliore teamed with champion older female Hidden Lake to win the Beldame Stakes, Hempstead Handicap, Go For Wand Stakes and Shuvee Handicap. The Floral Park, New York resident was also the leading stakes rider in the state that year, winning 24 added-money events. He also finished as the second-leading rider in the standings.

He won his first New York riding title as a journeyman in 1985, recording 257 wins during a season in which he won the prestigious Wood Memorial aboard Eternal Prince. The following campaign saw Migliore crack the top 10 at the NYRA meet for the first time in his career.

Born March 14, 1964, the Babylon, New York native learned to ride on Long Island horse farms and had an immediate impact as a rider, winning his first race at the Meadowlands with Good Grip. In 1981, he won 269 races, earning Eclipse Award honours as America's top apprentice and winning more races than any other New York rider.

One of Migliore's biggest career highlights came November 7, 1998 when he won his 3,000th career race aboard Belle's Appeal at Aqueduct.