The second jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown brings some excitement to Canadian racing Tuesday, Sept. 14 as Fort Erie hosts the 86th Prince of Wales Stakes.
The $400,000 middle leg of the Crown goes as race 10 (5:35 p.m.) and is complemented by four stakes events on the biggest day of racing at the Fort Erie track. First race post time is 1 p.m.
While Queen’s Plate winner SAFE CONDUCT has by-passed the ‘Wales’ in essence because the race is held on the traditional dirt surface, there are eight horses in the field and a win in this Canadian classic would mean a lot to the horse and their human connections.
The last Queen’s Plate winner to pass up the ‘Wales’ was Holy Helena in 2017. Two trainers in this year’s field have won the Prince of wales: Kevin Attard’s first big win of his career came in the 2007 ‘Wales’ with Alezzandro and Mark Casse has won the race three times. Two of Casse’s wins came with fillies and this year his Ontario team will send out the filly CURLIN’S CATCH to take on the boys. Curlin’s Catch is the only starter in the field to have tried a traditional dirt track in a race.
Here are my top four selections, an analysis of the Prince of Wales field, and what a win would mean to each horse:
5 – H C HOLIDAY – This colt had a brilliant run in the Queen’s Plate but he was delayed in traffic and that was costly. H C Holiday has improved with leaps and bounced since his 2021 debut on June 13 when he ‘won’ his maiden at seven furlongs only to be disqualified from that win due to a paperwork error for Lasix. So he goes into the Wales as a maiden. Since then he was a closing fourth in a key race against older horses, July 3, and third in the paceless Plate Trial
In the Plate, jockey Luis Contreras (who has won 3 of the last 10 Prince of Wales’s Stakes) had his colt almost last early but the colt glided up full of run along the inside on the last turn. He then ran into traffic trouble, steadied and lost some ground as he had to regroup. He closed fast to be third beaten one length.
H C Holiday is from the first crop of the Dalos stallion AMI’S HOLIDAY who won the Breeders’ Stakes, was third in the Prince of Wals and graded stakes place on the dirt. A win by H C Holiday would be huge for this Ontario sire.
Kevin Attard may have missed winning the Plate but he has three in the Wales and this guy has a big chance to win with speed likely coming from Ready at Dawn and Tidal Forces. Of course, he has to handle the dirt.
7- HARLAN ESTATE – Another Kevin Attard starter and this colt makes his dirt debut following a seventh place finish in the Plate. His race was not all that bad as he rode the rail all the way, had to wait a bit on the turn in traffic and then finished evenly. The best news is the bullet 4 furlong workout he had on the Fort Erie track on Sept. 7, 59 2/5, suggesting he loved the feel under his feet.
Kazushi Kimura is riding great guns this year and this colt should be closing. Interestingly, this American owned colt was bred by Ivan Dalos.
1- AVOMAN – The Plate Trial winner tries so hard and he was sixth in the Plate with Antonio Gallardo on board. He is by Ontario sire Old Forester and a win by this gelding would be the biggest for owners La Huerta Racing and Don MacRae, who also trains. He has three 83 Beyer Figures in succession and should get a piece.
8 – KEEP GRINDING – Lovely colt made a bid to the lead in the Queen’s Plate but weakened a bit to land fifth and he is simply a hard trying fellow for his young owner Joshua Attard. The distance is his biggest hurdle but he also worked fast on the Fort Erie dirt – 59 2/5. Tino Attard, Kevin’s father, has never won the Prince of Wales. Rafael Hernandez rides.
Who else is in the field? The filly CURLIN’S CATCH is a stakes winner on the dirt. She won the Suncoast Stakes on Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs over fillies with an 80 Beyer Figure and trainer Casse has said all along he does not think the Curlin filly (bred by Sam-Son farms) is not fond of Tapeta. She was fifth in the Woodbine Oaks. Patrick Husbands rides for American stable Breeze Easy LLC. HADDASSAH had a nice trip in the Plate after being a bit rank early in the race. He figures to shine once he gets back on the turf. TIDAL FORCES will have blinkers on for Sam-Son Farm and trainer Gail Cox. This handsome colt won his first two career races and looked like a serious horse but he was fifth in the Marine and ninth in the Plate. Perhaps he will show speed and take to the dirt. Sam-Son has won four ‘Wales’, the last one in 2000 with Scatter the Gold. (6) READY AT DAWN, one of three horses bred by Sam-Son, was claimed from the fabled farm for $15,000 on July 23 when he was 10th beaten 32 lengths on the Tapeta. He promptly came back to win his maiden at Fort Erie on the grass on the lead for trainer Daryl Ezra for the Double Blooded Stables.
DOUBLE BLOODED STABLES is the syndicate formed by Daryl Ezra and daughter Julia. For $1,000, anyone interested in getting involved in racing can buy-in for a year without any other bills. READY AT DAWN was the syndicate’s first winner and only their seventh starter. This would be a monumental win for Ezra and jockey Markle Buchanan.
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