Brachetto prepares for the King's Plate

Brachetto prepares for the King's Plate

By Steve Buffery

Woodbine trainer Julia Carey invites a reporter into Brachetto’s stall in barn 33 at the Woodbine backstretch and, as she lovingly strokes his forehead, says: “He’s a very cool, very laid-back, easy-going little colt.”

You can absolutely sense the love between the trainer and the three-year-old bay colt who, by winning the $150,000 Grade 3 Marine Stakes on June 27 at Woodbine, established himself as one of the favorites for the King’s Plate on Aug.15.

Carey, who recorded her first ever win as a trainer at Woodbine in 2000 with Semi Demi, has had one other entry in Canada’s most important horse race years before, but she acknowledged that is the most excited she’s ever been heading into a major race.

“Oh my God, unbelievable. At this stage of the game, for sure. I’ll never get another chance,” said Carey. “Same as the owners. They’re thrilled. They’ve never won a graded race until he won the Marine. For them, it was absolutely thrilling.”

Brachetto, by multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma out of Colorino, was bred by Ross and Brenda McKague at their farm in Manitoba and a victory on Aug.15 in the King’s Plate would represent the first time a Manitoba-bred has ever won Canada's most prestigious race. The last horse from the ‘Keystone Province’ to ride in the Plate was Gold Strike in 2005. (Gold Strike, who finished third in the Plate, is the dam of 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike).

“I’m trying to not get myself psyched out about it, trying to remember it’s just a straight three-year-old race with Canadian-breds,” said Carey when asked about the prospect of having one of the favorites in the Plate.

“It’s no big deal. Just forget about the $1 million part,” she added with a laugh.”

The favorite to win the King's Plate this year is probably the Josie Carroll-trained Luster, with a couple of Dale Desruisseaux-conditioned stakes winners Highwaytothemoon and Dixie Law also in contention. But Brachetto is certainly in the conversation now. There’s a definite sense of excitement around Carey’s barn these days with Brachetto doing so well. As Carey and a reporter from the HPBA chat outside her office, Carey’s grandson, Shamar, walks over. Shamar and Carey’s other grandson, Colin, work for her, as does Carey’s son-in-law Gary. Daughter Allison and son David also pitch in around the barn. It’s a real family affair. When asked what HE thinks of Brachetto’s chances in the Plate, Shamar smiled and said: “I think he’s going to win.”

“Words of wisdom,” said Julia with a smile.

“I feel like he has a very good opportunity,” added Shamar. “He’s been training always good and I tell Brachetto every day: ‘See that Winner’s Circle? Take me there please.’”

In five career starts - three this season and a two as a two-year-old -  Brachetto has finished in the money every time with two wins, a second and two thirds for earnings of $122,409 US. His last outing, the win in the Marine Stakes over 1 1/16^th miles, proved to Carey that he can be a force over a longer distance. In his race before the Marine, the Queenston Stakes on June 7, Brachetto finished third over seven furlongs.

“I knew he was training well and we had to find out if he could do the two turns (after the Queenston Stakes) and he certainly did show us that he could,” said Carey. “We weren’t going to go (in the Marine) but when I knew it was going to be kind of a light field, we thought, ‘Why not?’ My riders and Ryan (Munger) were very confident that it wouldn’t be a problem.”

The other good news is, Carey said Brachetto came out of the Marine Stakes in good form.

“He breezed this morning (Thursday) and he breezed beautifully,” said Carey, adding that, if all goes to plan, Brachetto will breeze once more next weekend in preparation for the Plate.

Carey has had some very nice horses in recent years – the Australian-bred Flag of Honour and Lac Macaza come to mind – but Brachetto has been a real blessing at this point of her career. The McKague’s gave Brachetto to Carey to train as a two-year-old and while the personable trainer could see that he was special as a juvenile, she had no idea that he would do so well as a three-year-old.

“I thought he was good, but you never know. And he ran terrific in his first race, even though he finished second. But he should have won,” Carey said. “And then we ran him back and that was a day when the weather was horrible and the track was really separated. He still closed up but it was a horrible day. We probably shouldn’t have run him.”

In January, Carey shipped Brechetto to Tom McCrocklin’s farm in Ocala where he got a good foundation for the 2026 racing season.

“He did a great job and we brought him up here and he was about half a mile fit and we went on from there and he hasn’t made a wrong move,” said Carey.

Since becoming a trainer full-time in 2000, Carey has enjoyed a fine career, winning 228 races in 1,495 starts, with 182 seconds and 196 thirds, for earnings of $8,465,555 US. This year, she has posted six wins, five seconds and seven thirds in 34 starts – in the money an impressive 53% of the time.

“I don’t have a complaint with any one of my horses this year. Well, maybe one,” Carey said with a laugh. “My sister (Joan Mitchell) is in Fort Erie and she has a small stable there, and the one’s that don’t make it here … I’ve sent her three and am about to send her another one.

“But I’ve got 17 horses here and that’s the max I’ve ever had,” Carey added. “And that’s all I want. It’s the perfect number. I’ve got a very good crew and that’s what makes it. And a lot of family. I got my son-in-law here, my two grandkids, my son, and my daughter comes in and fills in when people want a day off. So, it’s a lot of family and a couple of others and they feel like family.”

Carey said the McKague’s are wine connoisseurs and Brachetto is named after an Italian red wine grape variety. Perhaps, if all goes well in the King’s Plate on Aug. 15, Carey, Munger, the McKague’s and the entire staff at barn 33 will be sipping another kind of wine, a sparkling wine known as champagne.