Thirty-three fillies have won the Queen’s Plate since Canada’s most famous horse race began in 1860. The last to do so is Dancethruthedawn in 2001, who also won the Woodbine Oaks two weeks earlier. Three other fillies have won both the Oaks and Plate – Flaming Page (1962), La Lorgnette (1985) and Dance Smartly (1991).
Last year, the top two Oaks finishers, Milwaukee Appeal and Tasty Temptation took on the boys in the ‘Gallop for the Guineas’ and both raced well. Milwaukee Appeal fell a neck and a head short of the winner’s circle in third, while Tasty Temptation was a further two and three-quarter lengths back in fourth.
Now, it’s Bob Costigan’s homebred Roan Inish’s turn to try to etch her name into the record books. Fresh off a gutsy head Oaks triumph over Moment of Majesty, who may also plan a Plate challenge, Roan Inish will make just her third start of the year when the field lines up for the 151sth Queen’s Plate, Sunday, July 4. And unlike last year, there’s a three-week gap between the Oaks and the Plate, all the better for the Oaks winner.
Roan Inish certainly began life with big shoes to fill, since her mother, Inish Glora (which translates as ‘glorious island’ in Irish) was a two-time Sovereign Award winner in 2003 and 2004 as Canada’s top turf filly or mare, retiring with career earnings of $977,618. Now, after an Oaks win, following a Princess Elizabeth triumph at two and, with a seemingly bright future, it’s safe to say the ‘shoes fit.’
Has the Costigan household (owner Bob and daughter/trainer Carolyn) recovered from Roan Inish’s stirring Oaks win? “It is awesome. We really enjoyed the day,” recalled Carolyn. “We were happy to see that her mother come out in her like we knew she would. The horse fights to the end. I was very confident going into the race. I knew (favoured Embur’s Song) had the Beyer figures, but I thought the way my filly was galloping very, very strong up to the race, if any horse was going to beat her on the day, it was going to be a graded stakes-quality horse. When I saw her in contention turning for home, all she needs is something to hook up with to fight it out, it was time to start shouting.”
Roan Inish, who had been galloping daily and easily since the Oaks, blew out for the Plate with a four furlong breeze on Sunday in 48 3/5 seconds. “Just to wake her up a little bit. She came out of the race in really good form. We’re very happy with her.”
Roan Inish (which translates from Irish as ‘Island of the Seals’) began her career in Ireland, making her first three starts for trainer Jim Bolger, before the Ontario-bred daughter of Elusive Quality was shipped to Canada , where she immediately made a splash, breaking her maiden in style by winning the prestigious Princess Elizabeth Stakes last October. It was also Carolyn Costigan’s first starter as a licenced trainer, after she’d worked for Bolger for two years in Ireland.
This year, she debuted with a distant second-place finish to Resentless in the seven-furlong Fury Stakes on May 1, five lengths in arrears. But Costigan wasn’t concerned heading into the June 13 Oaks. “She’s not a seven-furlong horse,” she said. “I sent her into the Fury knowing she needed a race. One of the benefits of sitting up on the horse yourself is you know exactly where they are at. She was bred with these races in mind.”
On starting Roan Inish’s career in Ireland after being foaled in Ontario, she explained, “We thought it would be a nice addition to the mare’s page if we could pick up a win or some black type in Ireland.” After a promising debut, when finishing second at The Curragh, Roan Inish wound up 11th in her next start at Leopardstown, but found trouble at the start.
“She actually got very badly injured in the starting gate. She wound up in the hospital for 10 days.” Two months later, she surfaced at The Curragh again and finished eighth, but only four and one-half lengths behind the winner, Lady Springback, in the Group 3 Park Stakes.
Then, it was on to Canada, and, as it turned out, instant glory. “I brought her over from Ireland myself. We took a boat from Ireland to England, then spent the night at Lingfield Park. Then we took another ferry to mainland Europe and drove up to Amsterdam. All of that for a two-year-old is really a lot to handle. Then, to get on a flight to Toronto and get on a racetrack where she’s never been before, galloping in the morning with 200 other horses, she’s been very professional about everything.”
Owner – Robert Costigan
Born Sept 20, 1959, in the heart of horse country, Tipperary Town, Ireland, Robert Costigan grew up admiring the exploits of such horse racing luminaries as Vincent O’Brien, E.P. Taylor, Northern Dancer and many of his offspring, including Nijinsky II.
After emigrating from Ireland in 1984, he worked for Merrill Lynch in Canada and remained in the mutual fund industry from 1990-2002, before deciding to focus exclusively on his Thoroughbred racing interests. Costigan has owned horses since 1995 (his first horse was Terri’s Pirate, claimed for $25,000 at Hastings Park in Vancouver) but his first winner didn’t come until Darby O’Gill carried his colours in 1998.
Costigan’s first major stamp on the Canadian racing scene came with Inish Glora, Canada’s two-time champion turf older filly or mare (2003-2004), but it is Arravale for whom he is best known.
Initially, he had a mare who was injured and could not race so he wanted to breed her and contacted Windfields Farm in Oshawa. It was there he met farm manager Bernard McCormack and his brother John McCormack, a bloodstock agent. On the recommendation of Bernard, he purchased Inish Glora privately, after she failed to meet her reserve at a Keeneland all ages sale. “I think I paid $17,500 for her,” said Costigan.
It was John McCormack who brought Arravale to Costigan’s attention and he purchased her for $190,000 at the 2004 Keeneland September yearling sale. She went on to win over $1.1 million and was Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2006.
The Coquitlam, B.C. resident cites Arravale’s dramatic, Horse of the Year-clinching E.P. Taylor Stakes victory in 2006 at Woodbine as one of his proudest racing moments, acknowledging his childhood memories of E.P Taylor and of course, the fact that Arravale was trained by long-time Taylor conditioner Mac Benson. His other favourite highlight was Roan Inish’s Princess Elizabeth win, now no doubt replaced by her Oaks triumph.
As a relative newcomer to the breeding business, Costigan, who names his horses after places in Ireland and Irish lore. has certainly enjoyed some success. In addition to Roan Inish, he bred Gallant (Aptitude-Quintessa), who captured last year’s Prince of Wales Stakes.
Trainer – Carolyn Costigan
Born August 7, 1981 in Ireland, Carolyn Costigan, currently the Chief Executive Officer of Arravale Racing Incorporated – arravaleracing.com), grew up a horse racing enthusiast, since her family owned thoroughbreds since 1995. She has since traveled the world, trying to learn all there is to know about horses, their care, their training, etc.
She first began working for John Neville at Windfields Farm, learning how to break yearlings. Then, she joined a selected handful of international students enrolled at the Irish National Stud in 2005 for its National Stud Program. In 2007, as a student in the Darley Flying Start Program, recognized as one of the world’s best programs to train horse racing professionals, Carolyn committed to an intensive two-year course of study that combined practical experience in four international horseracing industries - Europe, North America, Australia and the Middle East.
She first worked for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and his assistant Art Magnusson in New York at Belmont Park. Then, it was off to Australia to the employ of Lee Freedman’s stable at Markdel. She then worked for South Africa’s leading conditioner, Mike de Kock and his assistants in Dubai, before spending two years as an assistant trainer to the renowned Jim Bolger in Ireland, when she was involved the stable's best runners, including five-time Group 1 winner New Approach. She currently trains six horses for her father.
Jockey - D.J. (Davy) Moran
Davy Moran has teamed with renowned Irish trainer Jim Bolger since 2001. His first winner for Bolger was Margarula, who would eventually go on to win the Irish Oaks at 33-1. In 2002, he won four races from 123 rides. In 2003, his biggest victory came aboard the Joe Crowley-trained Blue Corrig in the Ulster Derby at Down Royal. Unfortunately, Moran fractured his leg in mid-August, curtailing a season in which he’d won nine races from 119 starters.
In 2004, he again won nine races from 175 mounts. in late October of 2005, he piloted the Bolger-trained Rhythm’n Roots to victory in the El Gran Senor Stakes at Tipperary, his first listed stakes win. His 2006 season was a breakthrough, as Moran won 13 races including three stakes - aboard Heliostatic in the Silver Stakes at The Curragh, Mrs Gillow in the Guinness Gold Cup at Tralee and repeated in the El Gran Senor Stakes at Tipperary with a 20-1 outsider, Zafonical Storm, for English-based trainer Brendan Duke.
But his best ever season came in 2007, with 25 wins from 430 rides, highlighted by his win aboard the Ray McGlinchey-trained Incline in the Galway Mile in late July. The 2008 season saw him win 18 races from 284 rides, highlighted by Rock Moss’s victory in the prestigious Scurry Handicap at The Curragh on Irish Derby day. Last season, his most notable success came on the Bolger-trained Oh Goodness Me in the Group 3 Park Express Stakes at The Curragh. He also finished third on her in the Irish 1,000 Guineas two months later.