The 89th Prince of Wales Stakes is shaping up for what could be a 10-way showdown after nominations to Fort Erie Race Track’s signature event closed this week.
The historic one-mile-and-three-sixteenths race will hit Canada’s finest dirt track on Sept. 10, with a near-full field of 10 horses, including returning winners Al and Bill Ulwelling, who are on the hunt for back-to-back victories after winning the Prince of Wales in 2023.
“We can’t wait to get back to Fort Erie and compete in the Prince of Wales,” the duo wrote on social media after revealing they had put forward two entries, Jokestar and Pierre, in their bid to defend the cup. “I love that track and the people.”
Both of the Ulwelling horses are under the watchful eye of star trainer Kevin Attard, who is also training two other horses, Airosa and Bedard, in the big stakes via a horse ownership syndicate helmed by X-Men Racing. Attard will be seeking a fourth Prince of Wales Stakes victory, after winning in 2007, 2021, and 2023.
He’ll face a challenge from prolific trainer Mark Casse, who is training two horses, Essex Serpent and Midnight Mascot, both nominated to the Prince of Wales. A win this year would earn Casse his fifth Prince of Wales Stakes trophy, putting him in rarefied air; he would have the second most trainer wins, behind only Gordan McCann, who trained seven Prince of Wales winners between 1951 and 1967.
Rounding out this year’s nominations is No More Options for trainer Zeljko Krcmar, Passioned for trainer Justin Nixon, Vitality for trainer Harold Ladouceur, and Wyoming Bill for trainer Catherine Day Phillips.
Alongside the 89th Prince of Wales Stakes, the day’s card will feature two $100,000 Ontario Sire Heritage Series stakes, The Lake Erie Stakes and the Rondeau Bay Stakes, as well as two $30,000 cup races, the Molson Cup and the Le Cinquieme Essai Cup.
The first post for the Sept. 10 race is at 1 p.m., with the Prince of Wales Stakes scheduled to hit the track around 5:30 p.m.
Post positions for the 89th Prince of Wales Stakes will be drawn on Sept. 5 by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva, which will set the field for the big race five days later. The final leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown will return to Woodbine 19 days later for the Breeders’ Stakes.
For more information about the event, visit www.forterieracing.com/prince-of-wales
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