Prince Of Wales Stakes- ($500.000 Purse)
FE- For Three Year Olds Foaled in Canada
One Mile and Three Sixteenths on the Dirt
July 26, 2016

Last week, Ratan wasn’t even in the Heavens Own stable.  Just six days ago, Heavens Own purchased him in private sales from D J C Racing Stables for $150.000.  He had been coming off a fourth place finish in the Grade 3 Dwyer, and the new connections were hoping to build on that.   This just seemed like it would be a little too soon, but in the end, it didn’t matter.  Ratan was ready to run, without a care in the world as to what color the silks of his rider would be.   His mission was to follow up the Dwyer, and at the $500.000 Prince Of Wales, he would accomplish just that.   Heavens Own gets their first win in the stake, but for jockey J R Leparoux, it is his second win in three years, having also rode the 2014 winner, General Chimaera.   Congratulations to the winners!  The time of the win was 1:55.05, and that puts this race about midpack with past editions, in regards to the time.  Here’s a deeper look!

1st- 6- Ratan (13/1)- Our eventual race winner from Heavens Own shot right out of the gate and into the lead.  Very quickly, he pulled out to an advantage of about a length and a half before Scott The Great start to close in.  On entry to the first turn, the combination of that one dropping back, and Ratan pouring it on allowed him to re-open a two and a half lead.  He would carry this around the turn and into the backstretch, setting the opening half mile in :48.83.  Ratan kept cruising along on the backstretch, running six furlongs in 1:12.56, before moving into the final turn, unchallenged, with that same two and a half length lead on Mint Condition.  Continued to run strongly in the stretch, and there were a couple of game closing bids that were putting on some heat, but Ratan would make them regret their decisions to drop off of him on the lead when he had the chance.  He held strong to the wire, and beats all challengers to pick up the win for Heavens Own!  Ratan is a three year old colt by Cherokee Sunset (Chai Latte/Charley Farley) and out of Freaked (goes back a couple generations to Jolly Be Great).  He was bred in Ontario by Team 7 Illusions as a first quarter two year old.   This was his first race for Heavens Own! Congratulations to the connections!

2nd- 3- Scott The Great (3/1)- Started strong out of the gate for Night Mare Racing, looking to stalk Ratan early in the frontstretch.  However, as they entered the turn, L Contreras seemed to call off this challenge, and would restrain him to be almost five lengths from the lead as they moved into the backstretch.  He would not really make this ground up quickly either, being content to stay near the back of the pack.  At the top of the stretch, he still had four lengths to make up.  Scott The Great did respond very nicely with a powerful push in the stretch, but it would come up just short.   Seems like he actually lost this race in the first turn when he dropped back so much.

3rd- 5- Connectivity (2/1)- The post time favorite from Bigking had a similar start to the race as did Scott The Great.  He started quite well, and appeared to want to challenge Ratan on the lead, before R Bejarano also went into restrain mode and kept him running with Scott The Great, almost five lengths from the lead, early. Ran with Scott The Great and Its Good To Be King over the backstretch and into the turn, but never looked to push forward until they moved to the stretch.  Once there, he made a valiant push for the win, but Ratan was not letting up, and Scott The Great was also charging.  Connectivity ends up third, and like Scott The Great, you wonder if he actually lost this race in this first half.

4th- 1- Mint Condition (5/1)- Our filly taking on the boys, from Australia Wide, got off to an average start on the rail and seemed destined to be midpack early.  However, with both Scott The Great and Connectivity abandoning their early bids, it would be Mint Condition emerging as the second place runner, about two and a half lengths behind Ratan.  She would hold steady in this position for the duration of the backstretch, and into the turn.  Ran well along the rail around the turn and into stretch, but when they started coming back from behind her, she was not able to hold them off.

5th- 2- Cliffs Of Moher (5/2)- Not all that surprisingly, the Mb Stables entry found himself near the back in the early going.   He would trail going around the opening turn, and at the top of the backstretch, he had six lengths to make up.  Still he had much of them directly in front of him, so he seemed to be in good shape at this juncture. Continued to run at the back, even into the top of the stretch.  J R Velazquez looked to make a wide move with him on exit of the turn, and this is when he would be in his best stride.  However, he simply had too much ground to make up.

6th- 4- Its Good To Be King (8/1)- The entry from John Henry did not burst out of the gate, but due to a couple in front of him calling off their early bids, he would end up third for the run down the backstretch.  Remained running with Scott The Great and Connectivity near the back of the field, but when they began to try and regain the ground they surrendered early, Its Good To Be King would not have the same kind of push.

Track: Fast
Time: :48⁴  1:12²  1:36²  1:55

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 3 Paid 96.20
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 3 – 5 Paid 308.20

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded