For a moment, deep in the stretch run at Fort Erie racetrack in the Prince of Wales Stakes, it looked as if King’s Plate hero MANSETTI was going to grab the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Al and Bill Ulwelling’s gritty speedster, developed from a sprint type into a Canadian classic hero by trainer Kevin Attard, was under more pressure in his dirt debut for the $400,000 ‘Wales, run at 1 3/16 miles.
The field of challengers was smaller but fellows that he beat in the Plate, Scorching and Ashley’s Archer, were intent on going a bit faster in the early stages of the Prince of Wales. Under Pietro Moran, Mansetti had a measured lead as the 8-to-5 favourite into the first turn in Tuesday’s race, but the first two furlongs were quick, 23.12.
Following a half-mile in 46.96 and then a very stern 6 furlongs in 1:10.76 (the six furlongs of the Plate went in 1:12.40), Mansetti still had a short lead, Scorching was pressing and Ashley’s Archer had dropped back. RUNAWAY AGAIN, the hotshot debut winner for Stronach Stables and trainer Sid Attard, who was 14 lengths behind Mansetti in the Plate, was sneaking up the inside under Ryan Munger, however.
Into the stretch, after Scorching couldn’t go on and only Faber, Mansetti’s stablemate, was doing some running in the back, Mansetti, was clear. Runaway Again was angled off the rail to take aim.
At the eighth pole, Mansetti, looking tired, was still in front by two lengths and appeared to have enough to hang on. But when the Plate Hero swapped to his wrong lead four strides before the wire, he slowed considerably and Runaway Again got by for the victory by half a length.
Uncle Sid had beaten his nephew Kevin.
The time was 1:55.64. As an 8-to-1 longshot, Runaway Again paid $18.50 to win. Faber, also owned by the Ulwellings and trainer by Kevin, was three lengths back in third.
It was the first Canadian classic win for trainer Attard as well as for Munger, who joined the Woodbine riding colony in 2023 after moving from South Africa. With agent Mike Luider, Munger has quickly become a leading rider at Woodbine.
Runaway Again, a bay gelding by Hard Spun – Golden Venus by Storm Cat, did not make his first start until July 13, but it was a dandy, winning by 9 1/4 lengths on Tapeta under Munger. Supplemented for $25,000 to the Plate, but with Munger on Plate Trial winner Sedburys Ghost, Runaway Again was never involved. But after a fast workout on the dirt training track at Woodbine, the Stronach team put up the $12,500 supplement to try the Prince of Wales.
“He’s a quirky horse,” said Munger after the race. “You can’t bully him. He doesn’t like to be told what to do, so you have to kind of treat him like your wife or your girlfriend. You have to be very, very nice to him, and he’ll be nice back to you.”
For Sid Attard, the Prince of Wales was his 101st stakes win, according to Equibase, from a career that began in 1977.
“He came into this race feeling good, very sharp,” said Attard.
The Canadian Triple Crown will wrap up on September 28 with the 1 1/2 mile Breeders’ Stakes on the inner turf at Woodbine. Attard said Runaway Again worked well on the grass and could go in the final jewel, where he will meet Plate runner-up Tom’s Magic.
*Wagering on the 10-race card at Fort Erie was $2.8 million, down from $3.3 million last year.
PEDIGREE NOTES
HARD SPUN (Danzig), has over 90 stakes winners and seven in 2025.
Runaway Again’s dam Golden Venus did not race and she is a half-sister to none other than Hall of Famer AWESOME AGAIN, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and Queen’s Plate. Golden Venus is also a half-sister to champion MACHO UNO.
Golden Venus has produced seven other named foals, four minor winners. She has a two-year-old by Mucho Macho Man named Apolloman who was working at Woodbine through June of this year.
Sid Attard and Ryan Munger. (Michael Burns Photo)
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