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

Coming on a Tuesday, the Prince Of Wales stakes could be overlooked a little by racing fans with all the good racing normally taking place on the weekend.  But it’s Tuesday, Saratoga is dark, so there is no reason to not turn one’s attention north of the border to FE, where the 10th running of the Prince Of Wales Stakes takes place.  This is a race to celebrate the best three year Canadian horses in the game, and because breeding in Ontario is so strong within our game, this ends up being a great race every year.  The great Rancho Ruler and Stealth Fighter won back to back in 2009 and 2010, and in 2013 the legendary Canadian Racing horse Nile Warrior one the race that was likely particularly special for his trainer.  Last year, Greek Poet won the race just a few weeks after winning the Queens Plate at WO earlier in the month. Only six will go to the starting gate this year, but it’s a strong field with interesting storylines.  Here is our field!

#1- Mint Condition (Australia Wide, ridden by M E Smith)- Along the rail, Australia Wide brings his filly to tackle to the boys.   His benefit to this will be the five pound weight allowance that she will get, but still this figures to be a tough assignment.  In six starts, she has two wins and three thirds to her credit, but neither win is in more then allowance company.  Her last start is likely what got the trainer to make this decision, as she was second in the WO Oaks.  The purse is tantalizing, and similar stakes at SAR or DMR require running against older horses.

#2- Cliffs Of Moher (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After a modest two year old season, and winning a couple decent races early this year, Cliffs Of Moher burst onto the sceneat FB in late March when he won the LA Derby.    Thanks to that win, this horse who always had the potential earned his way into the KYD.  It seemed as though he would be a strong contender in the race as well, but when the post position draw came out, he drew number twenty.  He ran decently, but couldn’t find his inner Fusion, and finished 8th.  It was a good eighth, as he was wide, and the jockey had some indecisiveness in the stretch.  Given that, it seemed like he was destined for more later on, especially in the BEL.  With many picking him in the BEL, Cliffs Of Moher simply was never a threat.  It was a true head scratcher of a performance.  He rebounded decently at the Queens Plate earlier this month, but even there we were left wanting a little more.   On Tuesday, there will be no excuses.  Inside post.  Small field. Good distance. Time to show up.

#3- Scott The Great (Night Mare Racing, ridden by L Contreras)– Despite some very ambitious placement, Scott The Great had a winless two year old season.   This year, the trainer placed him in maidens again and allowed him to break it against other maidens.   That came in his seventh starts, and is still his only win to this point in his career.  Soon enough, it was back to ON-bred stakes in his last two starts, and this time Scott The Great has been more prepared to take on that level of competition.  The Commanding foal was second in the $150.000 Queenston Stakes, and then earlier this month ran an impressive third in the Queens Plate.  Not only did he beat Cliffs Of Moher, but also beat the likes of Snowmizer, Copper Opus and an talented filly taking on the boys (Wicked Heat).   Now, he is showing the talent that the trainer always knew he had.  This would be a big score for him today.

#4- Itsgoodtobeking (John Henry, ridden by R Alvarado Jr)- This is one where I am going to have to see it to believe it.  That’s not to say that Itsgoodtobeking isn’t a talented horse, of course he is.  He, too, is coming out of the Queens Plate, and while some might say he finished only two lengths from the leaders, I can’t look past an 8th place finisher where Cliffs Of Moher, Scott The Great, and Connectivity all were more competitive.  The Queens Plate was a jump up for him, and that’s something to build on.  Instead, he was sold a week later by Pan Farms for $155.000, and I read a lot into that because the one thing Pan excels at here is knowing when to buy, and when to sell.

#5- Connectivity (Bigking, ridden by R Bejarano)- The Pure Steel colt tried the TC trail, first with Mb Stables, and ultimately with Bigking and would come up short.  He was competitive though, as results show a couple 4th place finishes, first in the Grade 3 Withers, and then in the G1 BG Stakes.  The talent was always there, he just needed to find a little bit more, and that has started to happen for him.  In late May, he won the $125.000 Steady Growth for ON-breds, and then remained at WO to also take part in the Queens Plate.  Connectivity simply ran a great race there, and finished second, defeating everyone else in here that comes out of that race.  Will there be more steady growth for the Steady Growth winner?  If so, he can be the one in the winner’s circle.

#6- Ratan (Heavens Own, ridden by J R Leparoux)- He’ll only have been with his current trainer for six days when he takes to the starting gate in the Prince Of Wales.  Ratan was purchased from D J C Racing Stables in private sales for $150.000 on Wednesday, a little over two weeks after he finished 4th in the Grade 3 Dwyer.  His run in the Dwyer represented his graded stake debut.   Before the Dwyer, he has bounced around this year between running in $6.000 allowances at FON, and $45.000 allowances at PRX. He has one two of ten thus far, and likely Heavens Own seems something special in him.

Prediction: 2-3-5-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded