88th Prince of Wales Stakes: Biggest Field in 21 Years

King’s Plate winner PARAMOUNT PRINCE has not scared many away from the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown as he will meet 11 rivals in the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, Tuesday, September 12.

It is the biggest field for the Prince of Wales since 2002 when Le Cinquiene Essai defeated 11 horses in his victory.

The ‘Wales is slightly shorter than the 1 1/4 mile Plate at 1 3/16 miles and it is also run on a traditional dirt track, while the Plate was run on Tapeta. The third jewel of the Crown is the 1 1/2 mile Breeders’ Stakes on grass. The unique series is tough to sweep and the last horse to do it was Wando in 2003.

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Three Plate winners in the last 20 years, Mighty Heart, Wonder Gadot and Wando, have come back to win the ‘Wales’.

Paramount Prince, who led all the way in the Plate, drew post position 8 and has regular rider Patrick Husbands on board. Trained by Mark Casse and owned by Mike Langlois and Gary Barber, the son of Society’s Chairman has never tried dirt, much like the bulk of the field. He meets six fellow sophomores that he defeated in the Plate and five new faces.

Among the colts who finished behind Paramount Prince in the Plate was STANLEY HOUSE, trained by two-time ‘Wales’ winner Mike DePaulo. A somewhat unlucky third in the Plate after getting shuffled back in traffic early behind the moderate pace, Stanley House has his third different rider for this race as Rafael Hernandez will partner the son of Army Mule for owners John and Diana Russell.

Stanley House will add blinkers.

DePaulo will also saddle COOL KISS, another fellow adding blinkers, and he was seventh in the Plate after a wide trip. Cool Kiss was a closing second in a dirt sprint in Florida in the winter.

Fourth in the Plate was VELOCITOR, owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling and trained by Kevin Attard. This is the same team that won the ‘Wales’ in 2021 with Haddassah. Velocitor matched his best career Beyer Figure in the Plate of 81.

TWIN CITY, who has dirt breeding on both sides of his pedigree, and KAUKOKAIPUU are back for another try at Paramount Prince. And MORSTACHY’S, whose best race of his career came in a dirt sprint in Florida (69 Beyer Figure) is also back.

New faces in the field include the Casse-trained STAYHONOR GOODSIDE, who is by Honor Code and was recently a closing second in an allowance race on Tapeta. He has a Knob Hill Farms pedigree as his dam won the Bison City Stakes and third dam Alexandrinoa produced Thornfield. Fourth dam La Lorgnette won the Plate on dirt.

TIBURON, another Kevin Attard trainee, won his maiden second time out in a route race on Tapeta but he was 7th in the Plate Trial. He has had three straight dirt workouts in fast times and he stems from the family of dirt stakes winners Woodcarver (Plate) and All Firmed Up. ARMALINE is one of two in the field for owner Bruno Schickedanz. This gelding is also by Army Mule and he was claimed for $25,000 from the Ulwellings by trainer Norm McKnight from a grass victory. His dam was a solid stakes winner on dirt.

Schickedanz has also ponied up $12,500 to supplement TRINITY PARK, trained by Mike Dunslow. Trinity Park, who is from an old Knob Hill Farms family that includes sprinting stakes winners Bunbeg and Why Not Willie, has one win in five races.

OTTAWA, well regarded off workouts this summer but a maiden after two races, is a possible pace presence and a son of Violence for trainer Josie Carroll. His two Beyer Figures are 80 and 81.