A field of seven including two supplemental entries was entered for the 87th Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Ere, Tuesday, September 13. The second jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown is run at 1 3/16 miles, slightly shorter than the Queen’s Plate, and on a traditional dirt track with a purse of $400,000.
With Plate-winning filly MOIRA aiming for graded stakes stuff at Woodbine in the E.P. Taylor in four weeks, or possibly the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland in October, and Plate runner-up HALL OF DREAMS awaiting the Breeders’ Stakes, Plate third SIR FOR SURE will be a big favourite.
Not one of the seven horses in the Wales field has tried dirt in a race.
Trained by Mark Casse for Heste Sport of Rene and Darlene Hunderup of King, ON, Sir for Sure was installed the 7-to-5 favourite on the morning line odds. The son of Sligo Bay (Ire) will start from post 5 with Declan Carroll riding.
Sir for Sure rallied to win the Plate Trial with an 83 Beyer Speed Figure and came back with a three-wide run and an even finish in the Plate, nine lengths behind Moira, while Hall of Dreams was two lengths ahead in second.
Speedy IRONSTONE will once again try to carry his speed an elongated distance after tracking the pace and then jumping clear on the final turn of the Plate before Moira blew past everyone. The grey son of Mr. Speaker, trained by William Armata for Tequesta Racing and Jupiter Leasing, will have Kazushi Kimura aboard from post 2. He was pegged at 8-to-5 in the morning line odds.
Casse, who has won four Prince of Wales Stakes, has supplemented Gary Barber’s FAST FEET to the race for $12,500 with Sahin Civaci riding. A debut winner on the turf last fall, Fast Feet is no doubt in the field to spice up the pace. Most recently the son of Tourist was not far off a 45.40 half mile closing in a turf race at Woodbine and he stayed on to be third in a good effort.
DUKE OF LOVE and HUNT MASTER were 8th and 7th in the Plate respectively. Duke of Love, trained by Josie Carroll, was stalking the Plate pace for a spell before fading while Hunt Master was one-paced.
The field is completed by ICE ROAD, a Keen Ice colt claimed from a maiden win at 7 furlongs on June 17 by Bruno Schickedanz. Trained by Mike Dunslow, Ice Road, supplemented for $12,500 to the field, was 11th beaten 24 lengths in his next race on Tapeta at 1 1/16 miles.
COLLABORATIVE, still a maiden after 5 runs at Woodbine, was recently 6th beaten 11 lengths in a $40,000 maiden claiming race for Centennial Farms and John Lennox and trainer Ravendra Raghunath.
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