King’s Plate prep: Carroll pair set for Queenston Stakes test
.jpg)
TORONTO, June 5, 2025 – The $125,000 Queenston Stakes, a key prep on the road to this year’s King’s Plate (August 16), is Sunday’s feature race at Woodbine.
The seven-furlong Queenston, for 3-year-olds foaled in Canada, has attracted seven hopefuls, including Notorious Gangster and Forty N Five, both trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll.
Bred and owned by Mark Dodson, Notorious Gangster arrives at his fourth consecutive stakes engagement off a second in the Woodstock Stakes on April 27.
Making his sophomore debut, Notorious Gangster, with Fraser Aebly in the irons, was unhurried in the early going and sat last of eight through a half in :45.61, in the six-furlong main track Woodstock.
After the dark bay was angled out in the eight-path turning for home, he had to alter course slightly at the sixteenth pole but came flying late to just miss second. A rider’s claim of foul and stewards’ inquiry resulted in Notorious Gangster being elevated to second spot.
“I thought he ran a tremendous race,” said Carroll, who is off to another strong start in 2025, with 10 wins from 51 starts. “If he hadn’t been caught wide out there, I think it would have been an even better finish.”
Notorious Gangster debuted on August 4 at Woodbine and finished third at six furlongs over the main track. His maiden victory came one race later, on August 25 at the Toronto oval, a head score at 6 ½ furlongs on the same surface.
This past November, the son of Classic Empire out of the Verrazano mare Sister Nova (1-4-2 from 10 starts) earned his second lifetime win and first stakes success when he won the Coronation Futurity, a 1 1/8-mile event for 2-year-olds foaled in Canada and a significant race on the road to the 166th running of The King’s Plate.
He had arrived at the race off a seventh-place finish in the Cup & Saucer – contested over the E.P. Taylor turf – on October 6.
“Every time I get on this horse, he's getting better and better and better," said Aebly, after the Coronation Futurity win.
A finalist for the 2024 Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion apprentice, Aebly, who has been aboard for all five of the colt’s lifetime starts, gets the call on Sunday.
“I’m excited to ride him again,” said Aebly, of the horse who sports a 2-1-1 record and $176,163 in purse earnings (USD). “He ran a great race last time out.”
Notorious Gangster breezed five furlongs in 1:02.00 over the Woodbine main track on June 1 in preparation for the Queenston.
“Physically, he has grown this year,” said Carroll. “Mentally, he has always been a very focused, competitive horse. This race is the natural progression for him. We hope that he is a King’s Plate horse.”
Victor James is the groom.
Carroll’s other Queenston hopeful is Forty N Five, a homebred for Chiefswood Stables.
Forty N Five heads into the Fury off a gutsy win at seven furlongs over the Woodbine main track on May 10.
Sent off at 3-1, the bay nestled on the rail behind the pacesetters early before getting up late to eke out a nose score in 1:24.00.
The son of Uncle Mo out of the Distorted Humor mare Five N Forty debuted last July and finished second in a six-furlong race over the E.P. Taylor turf. One race later, he broke his maiden in a seven-furlong main track race that was originally scheduled for the turf.
Forty N Five closed out his first campaign with a pair of off-the-board finishes in the Summer Stakes (G1T) and Coronation Futurity.
He kicked off his 2025 season with a second at six furlongs on the Gulfstream Park main track in March and followed it up with an off-the-board result over one mile on the grass at Keeneland in April.
On May 30, Forty N Five, 2-2-0 from seven starts, accompanied by $115,002 (U.S.) in purse earnings, breezed four furlongs in :48.00 over the Woodbine main track ahead of his date in the Queenston.
“This distance hits him right between the ears,” said Carroll. “He is a horse who has very much improved this year.”
Katelyn Simmons is the groom.
Dining Alone won the inaugural running of the race in 1956. Last year, My Boy Prince, under Sahin Civaci, won by 4 ½ lengths, with stablemate Essex Serpent finishing second.
The Queenston is listed as Race 8 on the 9-race card, with a first post of 1:05 p.m. The wagering menu for the race includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta and $1 Swinger. Fans can wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and bet365.com.
Field for the $125,000 Queenston Stakes
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Dewolf – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
2 – Forty N Five – Rafael Hernandez – Josie Carroll
3 – Flirting With Fire – Ryan Munger – Gordon Colbourne
4 – Notorious Gangster – Fraser Aebly – Josie Carroll
5 – Lucky Guest – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
6 – Mansetti – Leo Salles – Kevin Attard
7 – Regal Guest – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
.jpg "Notorious Gangster and jockey Fraser Aebly winning the Coronation Futurity on November 30, 2024 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)")
