By Anna Jeffs
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – South African native Ryan Munger likes his chances aboard Plate Trial Stakes winner Sedburys Ghost in the 166th running of the $1 million King’s Plate on Saturday at Woodbine.
Sedburys Ghost won his first stakes in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial over the favored Notorious Gangster while earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure, one of the highest in the King’s Plate field.
Munger has high praise for trainer Barbara Minshall’s work with the son of 2015 Queen’s Plate winner Shaman Ghost. Munger piloted the homebred owned by Yawen Wu in an “easy maintenance work” over a half-mile in 49.80 seconds on Aug. 2 and a five-furlong breeze in 1.00.20 last Saturday.
“He’s in great order,” Munger said. “I’m so happy with how the horse is going. Fingers crossed, everything just keeps on going into the Plate. He’s just doing everything you want a Plate horse to do.”
Munger reminds himself to stay sharp for his upcoming third attempt in the King’s Plate.
“The most common thing you see with a lot of riders, they get sucked into rash decisions,” Munger said. “The most important thing is just to stay calm – try to give your horse as much room and space as possible. And he’s good enough, if you give him space and a clear run, he’ll run them down.”
The King’s Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, is restricted to Canadian-bred 3-year-olds. Run over Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta surface, it’s considered to be Canada’s most prestigious race.
Although the 29-year-old Munger has been riding at Woodbine since 2023, he describes this 2025 season as a turning point in his Canadian racing career. Through Sunday, he ranked fourth in the Woodbine standings with 36 wins, and his mounts have earned about $1.5 million at the meet.
“This year is definitely a breakout year for me.” Munger said. “I’ve managed to get on some real nice horses and I’ve been supported by a lot more barns.”
Before moving to Canada, Munger rode in South Africa, where he said he compiled about 800 wins, including two Group 1 scores. He has more than 900 career victories.
South Africa has its own King’s Plate, a Group 1 event run each January at Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town. Just like Woodbine’s version, the race reverted from the Queen’s Plate to the King’s Plate in 2023 after the accession of King Charles III in 2022.
“Out of all the big races there, that’s probably the only one I haven’t ridden in,” Munger said. “But it’s not as big as the King’s Plate here. It’s a different sort of race. The South African one is a mile, and it’s for older horses. This one is a mile and a quarter for 3-year-olds.”
When asked which Plate he’d rather win, Munger didn’t hesitate with his reply.
“Definitely the Canadian one, especially with that nice paycheck,” Munger said. “It’s a bonus with the honor here.”
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