Prince of Wales Stakes explained

Class:	Restricted
Horse Race:	Prince of Wales Stakes
Location:	Fort Erie Race Track Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Race Type:	Flat / Thoroughbred
Distance:	NaNmiles
Surface:	Dirt
Track:	Left-handed
Qualification:	Three-year-olds (foaled in Canada)
Weight:	Scale Weight
Purse:	CDN$400,000

The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; furlongs). In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the second race in the Canadian Triple Crown series. It follows the August running of the King's Plate and precedes the Breeders' Stakes in October.

The race was inaugurated in 1929 at the now defunct Thorncliffe Park Raceway in today's Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood of central east Toronto.

Historical notes

In 1959, the E.P. Taylor colt New Providence emerged as a Triple Crown champion in its first year of existence. In the ensuing years, six more three-year-olds have equaled the feat. In 2014, it was decided to grandfather the five horses who had won the series prior to 1959 as well.^[1]

According to the racetrack's website, for fans, the most popular winner of the race was the Canadian and American Hall of Fame filly Dance Smartly who went on to win the 1991 Triple Crown.

In 1995 Barbara J. Minshall became the first woman to train the winner of a Canadian Triple Crown race when the Minshall Farms colt Kiridashi won. To date, no female jockey has won the Prince of Wales Stakes, although Francine Villeneuve and Autumn Snow lost the 2005 running by a nose to Ablo.

Uniquely, the 2003 edition featured the first "father vs. daughter" match up in a Canadian Triple Crown race, when jockeys David Clark and Cory Clark competed against one another.^[2] He finished third aboard Shoal Water, while she brought her horse, Sonofawac, home in sixth position.

From 1959 through 1987 the Prince of Wales Stakes was run on turf. Since inception, it has been contested at four different Ontario racetracks and at various distances:

miles : 1929–1930 at Thorncliffe Park Raceway, 1957–1958 at Woodbine Racetrack
miles : 1932–1942 and 1947–1952 at Thorncliffe Park Raceway, 1944–1945 and 1953–1955 at Old Woodbine Racetrack, 1956 at Woodbine Racetrack
miles : 1959–1975 at Fort Erie Racetrack
miles : 1976–1987 at Fort Erie Racetrack
miles : 1988–present at Fort Erie Racetrack

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of miles)

1:53.80 – Bruce's Mill (1994)

Most wins by a jockey:

5 – Hugo Dittfach (1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967)

Most wins by a trainer:

7 – Gordon J. McCann (1951, 1952, 1954, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1967)

Most wins by an owner:

9 – E. P. Taylor and/or Windfields Farm (1951, 1952, 1954, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1972, 1988)

Winners

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2023	Velocitor	Justin Stein	Kevin Attard	Al & Bill Ulwelling	1:55.24
2022	Duke of Love	Justin Stein	Josie Carroll	MyRaceHorse Stable	1:58.07
2021	Haddassah	Gary Boulanger	Kevin Attard	Al and Bill Ulwelling	1:56.15
2020	Mighty Heart	Daisuke Fukumoto	Josie Carroll	Lawrence P. Cordes	1:55.59
2019	Tone Broke		Steve Asmussen	L and N Racing	1:56.56
2018	Wonder Gadot	John Velazquez	Mark E. Casse		1:58.71
2017	Cool Catomine	Luis Contreras	John Ross	Jack of Hearts Racing / J.R. Racing Stable Inc.	1:55.63
2016	Amis Gizmo	Luis Contreras	Josie Carroll	Ivan Dalos	1:56.76
2015	Breaking Lucky	James S. McAleney	Reade Baker	Gunpowder Farms	1:56.59
2014	Coltimus Prime	Eurico Rosa da Silva	Justin J. Nixon	Cabernet Racing Stables	1:54.58
2013	Uncaptured	Miguel Mena	Mark E. Casse	John C. Oxley	1:55.49
2012	Dixie Strike	Patrick Husbands	Mark E. Casse	John C. Oxley	1:57.54
2011	Pender Harbour	Luis Contreras	Mike De Paulo	Denny Andrews & Robert Giffin	1:55.74
2010	Golden Moka	Anthony Stephen	Brian A. Lynch	Good Friends Stable	1:56.45
2009	Gallant	Corey Fraser	Mark E. Casse	Woodford Racing LLC	1:56.74
2008	Harlem Rocker	Eibar Coa	Todd Pletcher	Adena Racing Venture	1:56.46
2007	Alezzandro	Todd Kabel	Kevin Attard	Knob Hill Stable	1:55.04
2006	Shillelagh Slew	Dino Luciani	Michael P. DePaulo	David H. T. James	1:55.87
2005	Ablo	Gerry Olguin	Roger Attfield	Michael & Phyllis Canino	1:56.90
2004	A Bit O'Gold	Jono Jones	Catherine Day Phillips	Kingfield Racing Stables	1:57.69
2003	Wando †	Patrick Husbands	Mike Keogh	Gus Schickedanz	1:55.84
2002	Le Cinquieme Essai	Brian Bochinski	Paul Nielsen	William A. Scott	1:56.53
2001			Robert P. Tiller	Frank Di Giulio Jr.	1:56.14
2000		Todd Kabel	Mark Frostad	Sam-Son Farm	1:56.01
1999				Arosa Farm	1:56.20
1998				Melnyk / Bristow	1:55.20
1997				Mack / Sorokolit	1:56.00
1996			Barbara J. Minshall	Minshall Farms	1:55.20
1995		Larry Attard	Barbara J. Minshall	Minshall Farms	1:55.00
1994		Craig Perret	Mark Frostad	Earle I. Mack & partners	1:53.80
1993	Peteski †	Dave Penna		Earle I. Mack	1:54.40
1992				Knob Hill Stable	1:57.40
1991	Dance Smartly †	Pat Day	Jim Day	Sam-Son Farm	1:56.60
1990	Izvestia †			Kinghaven Farms	1:56.40
1989	With Approval †			Kinghaven Farms	1:56.80
1988				Sam-Son/Windfields	2:00.20
1987				S. Carnevale	2:39.60
1986		Vincent Bracciale, Jr.		Sanderson / Belanger	2:44.40
1985				Sam-Son Farm	2:34.60
1984			Gerry Belanger	Sanderson / Norman	2:48.60
1983			John J. Tammaro, Jr.	Kinghaven Farms	2:32.00
1982		Robin Platts		Albert J. Coppola	2:38.40
1981			W. Granger	FNR Stable	2:34.80
1980		Joey Belowus	Gil Rowntree	Stafford Farms	2:34.40
1979				D. Mann	2:33.40
1978		Robin Platts	Gil Rowntree	Stafford Farms	2:34.40
1977	Dance In Time	Gary Stahlbaum	Frank H. Merrill, Jr.	Viscount Hardinge	2:31.80
1976	Norcliffe	Jeffrey Fell	Roger Attfield	Norcliffe Stable	2:30.20
1975	L'Enjoleur	Sandy Hawley	Yonnie Starr	Jean-Louis Lévesque	2:32.40
1974	Rushton's Corsair	James Kelly		Aubrey W. Minshall	2:23.40
1973	Tara Road	Sandy Hawley	Gil Rowntree	Stafford Farms	2:16:80
1972	Presidial	John LeBlanc	Roy Johnson	Windfields Farm	2:16.60
1971	New Pro Escar	James Kelly	Andrew G. Smithers	E. Lieberman	2:15.20
1970	Almoner	Sandy Hawley	Jerry G. Lavigne	Parkview Stable	2:19.80
1969	Sharp-Eyed Quillo	Heliodoro Gustines	Horatio Luro	J. Hood	2:16.60
1968	Rouletabille	Richard Grubb	Yonnie Starr	Jean-Louis Lévesque	2:18.60
1967	Battling	Hugo Dittfach	Gordon J. McCann	Windfields Farm	2:21.20
1966	He's A Smoothie	Hugo Dittfach	Warren Beasley	William R. Beasley	2:19.00
1965	Good Old Mort	Sam McComb	Jerry C. Meyer	Dane Hill Acres	2:22.80
1964		Avelino Gomez	M. Long	Viscount Hardinge	2:35.00
1963	Canebora †	Hugo Dittfach	Gordon J. McCann	Windfields Farm	2:30.60
1962	King Gorm	Hugo Dittfach	Richard Townrow	Lanson Farm	2:21.20
1961	Song of Even	Jim Fitzsimmons	Gordon J. McCann	Windfields Farm	2:29.00
1960	Bulpamiru	Hugo Dittfach	Red Barnard	Shermanor Farm	2:19.80
1959	New Providence †	Avelino Gomez	Gordon J. McCann	Windfields Farm	2:18.00
1958	White Apache	Don Hale	F. Russell	Four L's Stable	1:52.20
1957	Our Sirdar	E. Roy	F. Cook	Shermanor Farms	1:59.60
1956	Canadian Champ †	David Stevenson	John Passero	William R. Beasley	1:46.20
1955	Ace Marine †	George Walker	Yonnie Starr	Larkin Maloney	1:45.20
1954		B. Albert	Gordon J. McCann	E. P. Taylor	1:46.20
1953	Chain Reaction	Nick Combest	Richard Townrow	Mrs. Elodie S. Tomlinson	1:44.40
1952	Acadian	Jose Vina	Gordon J. McCann	E. P. Taylor	1:44.80
1951	Major Factor	Alf Bavington	Gordon J. McCann	E. P. Taylor	1:52.20
1950	Nephisto	Johnny Dewhurst	Arthur Brent	Parkwood Stable	1:48.80
1949	Victory Arch	Pat Remillard	Robert K. Hodgson	North Downs Farm	1:45.60
1948	Lord Fairmond	L. Kerr	Harry Giddings, Jr.	Whittier Park Stock Farm	1:48.40
1947	Burboy	Robert Fisher	Robert Rushton	Bur-fit Stable	1:48.20
1946	no race
1945	Uttermost †	Robert B. Watson	Cecil Howard	Harry C. Hatch	1:45.00
1944	Ompalo	Robert B. Watson	Cecil Howard	Harry C. Hatch	1:47.00
1943	no race
1942	Ten to Ace	Charles W. Smith	Harry Giddings, Jr.	Harry Giddings	1:50.40
1941	no race
1940	Hood	Pat Remillard	C. Mitchell	J. R. McIntyre	1:49.40
1939	Archworth †	Sydney Denny Birley	Mark Cowell	C. George McCullagh	1:46.40
1938	no race
1937	Cease Fire	Charley Critchfield	M. Maciver	H. R. Bain	1:47.80
1936	Samoan	Frankie Mann		Edward Frowde Seagram	1:47.20
1935	no race
1934	no race
1933		John "Red" Pollard	Jack Whyte	R. E. Webster	1:47.40
1932	Queensway †	Frankie Mann	Harry Giddings, Jr.	Robert W. R. Cowie	1:52.00
1931	no race
1930	Spearhead	Earl Steffen	George Strate	Tedluc Stable	1:55.20
1929	Lion Hearted		R. Emmett Potts	Mrs. W. J. Giblin	1:54.60

A † designates a Triple Crown winner.

Broadcasting

TSN owns broadcast rights to the event. It has carried the race intermittently due to the lack of consistent sponsorship; the race will air on TSN in 2018 through a sponsorship with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.^[3]

References

Toronto Star article on the 2009 Prince of Wales Stakes

Notes and References

Web site: Canadian Hall of Fame Honors Early TC Winners. BloodHorse.com. 14 December 2016.
Web site: Other Sports & Activities.
Web site: Fort Erie's signature horse race to get TV coverage across Canada - Buffalo Business First.