Eurico Da Silva rides Eye of the Leopard, left, past Milwaukee Appeal in the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on Sunday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

When 5-2 favourite Eye of the Leopard put his nose across the line first in the 150th running of the Queen's Plate on Sunday, he brought a saddlebag full of storylines with him.

The three-year-old colt with the superb bloodlines but only three previous starts bested a game Mr. Foricos Two U and the two highly regarded fillies — Milwaukee Appeal and Tasty Temptation — in a heart-racing stretch run before a big crowd at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack.

It also begins a shot at Canadian thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown for the Sam-Son Farm colt, by the great A.P. Indy and from Eye of the Sphynx. The crown's second jewel goes July 11 with the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, Ont., while the finale is back at Woodbine on Aug. 2 with the Breeders' Stakes.

But that's in the future — the present has enough going for it.

• This is the fifth Queen's Plate victory for owner-breeder Sam-Son Farm, a group that has gone through a tough couple of years. Founder Ernie Samuel died in 2000 and last year his wife Liza and daughter Tammy Samuel-Balaz also died.
• It was trainer Mark Frostad's fourth Plate win for Sam-Son, the last being Dancethruthedawn in 2001. He and Samuel-Balaz had planned Eye of the Leopard's path together and his name came off a list supplied by Liza Samuel before her death.
• Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva, the popular Brazilian-born local rider, brought in his first Queen's Plate winner in his fifth year at the track.
• Eye of the Leopard became the 24th Plate trial winner, second in two years (after Not Bourbon) to also take the Queen's Plate. Before 2008, it hadn't happened since 1992.

"I want to thank all the people that supported me," Da Silver said joyfully to CBC Sports. "I want to thank this horse, he is a beautiful horse.

"I have the greatest team in the world behind this horse. Mark [trainer Frostad] was so nice, he never pressured me."

Eye of the Leopard paid $6.70, $4.10 and $2.90 while Mr. Foricos Two U paid $7.20 and $4.60 to place and Milwaukee Appeal $3.70 to show.

The race seemed to be in the hands of star U.S. jockey Mike Smith on Catherine Day Phillips' Mr. Foricos as the field came around the final turn. Sitting on the rail, the Woodbine Oaks winner and Smith seemed to have what it took to hold on for what would be the rider's second career Plate victory.

Strong kick to finish

But in the last furlong (220 yards), up came Eye of the Leopard with his huge, loping stride.

"The horse was very solid in the last yards of the race," said Da Silva, who was using a Light Touch whip (all noise, no pain) and went to it 25 times down the stretch. "You can feel he can continue on that pace … on that pace … and just hope another horse fall apart, you know?"

Mr. Foricos did not fall apart, he was simply run down by the Leopard.

Smith, who thought he might still have had it if his mount had seen Eye of the Leopard coming a little sooner, was still happy with the horse's effort.

"He was very much on his toes. He really wanted to do something today," Smith said. "It was a gallant effort."

Jockey Eurico Da Silva celebrates atop Eye of the Leopard after winning the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on Sunday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Winning trainer Frostad was thrilled with his horse but looking for more.

"He showed up on a big day, yeah. But he has room for improvement," he said. "I think he'll get better as we go along. He's just developing nicely, finally getting the hang of it, and knows what it's about."

Early-season setback

After missing his entire two-year-old year because he wasn't ready, as is often the case with the big-built horses, Eye of the Leopard suffered another setback early this season with a respiratory infection.

When he finally ran at Keeneland, in Kentucky, Leopard was third last. But he won at Woodbine on May 10 with the blinkers on for the first time, and took the Plate Trial three weeks ago, setting up what many hoped would be his emergence as a star.

Frostad is a cautious man, however, and pointed out this win on Sunday was just by a nose, not 10 lengths.

"He gave his all," the conditioner said. "And you can't ask for more from a horse."

With files from The Canadian Press