TORONTO, September 28, 2020 – Queen’s Plate winner Mighty Heart will continue his pursuit of the prestigious OLG Canadian Triple Crown when he takes on eight contenders at Fort Erie Race Track in the 85th Prince of Wales Stakes, on Tuesday, September 29.
After a dominating 7 ½-length triumph in the Queen’s Plate, Mighty Heart, bred and owned by Lawrence Cordes, and trained by Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll, will look to continue his winning ways in the $400,000 Prince of Wales, second jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. On Friday, he was installed as the 7-5 morning line favourite.
Daisuke Fukumoto, who rode the one-eyed Ontario-bred to his stirring Plate score, is back in the irons for Tuesday’s engagement for Canadian-bred three-year-olds, set for 1 3/16 miles on the Fort Erie dirt surface. Carroll, who won the 2006 Plate with Edenwold and the 2011 edition with the filly Inglorious, won the 2016 running of the Prince of Wales with Amis Gizmo.
Mighty Heart, who will leave from post two, faces Plate rivals Clayton (third in the Plate), Dotted Line (seventh), Tecumseh’s War (fourth), and Truebelieve (ninth), as well as Bold Victory, Enchant Me, Muskoka Giant, and Red Victory.
Some of the sport’s top experts have delivered their picks (see below) that comprise the Prince of Wales Power Rankings presented by the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. The Power Rankings spotlight top contenders as voted on by expert horseplayers and racing commentators from Woodbine Racetrack and Fort Erie Race Track, including Jeff Bratt, Robert Geller, Ashley Mailloux, Doug McPherson, Jason Portuondo and Monique Vag. The rankings are based on votes following a 5-4-3-2-1 points system for the top five selections.
Should Mighty Heart, whose Plate time of 2:01.98 was the second fastest Plate run since 1957, emerge victorious in the Prince of Wales, it could set up a possible date in the starting gate for the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes, third and final jewel in the Triple Crown Series, set for 1 ½ miles on the world renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course, October 24 at Woodbine.
The last horse to sweep all three races was Wando in 2003. Bred and owned by the late Gus Schickedanz, and trained by Mike Keogh, the son of Langfuhr garnered front-page coverage in the lead-up and aftermath of his Triple Crown quest.
First race post time on September 29 is 2:10 p.m., with the Prince of Wales scheduled for approximately 5:37 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Fort Erie Race Track will be closed to spectators. Fans can watch online or tune in to the Canadian Triple Crown broadcast, sponsored by OLG, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on TSN.
FIELD FOR THE PRINCE OF WALES
Post – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Morning Line Odds
1 – Truebelieve – Cole Bennett – Keveh Nicholls – 30-1
2 – Mighty Heart – Josie Carroll – Daisuke Fukumoto – 7-5
3 – Dotted Line – Sid Attard – Justin Stein – 8-1
4 – Red Mercury – Paul Lepiane – Simon Husbands – 30-1
5 – Enchant Me – Santino Di Paola – Luis Contreras – 20-1
6 – Bold Victory – Mark Casse – Patrick Husbands – 12-1
7 – Tecumseh’s War – Catherine Day Phillips – Emma-Jayne Wilson – 4-1
8 – Muskoka Giant – Mark Casse – Kazushi Kimura – 12-1
9 – Clayton – Kevin Attard – Rafael Hernandez – 5-2
PRINCE OF WALES POWER RANKINGS PRESENTED BY THE OLG CANADIAN TRIPLE CROWN
Horse – Trainer – Points – First-Place Votes
1 Mighty Heart – Josie Carroll – 27 – 4
2 Clayton – Kevin Attard – 23 – 1
3 Tecumseh’s War – Catherine Day Phillips – 18 – 1
4 Dotted Line – Sid Attard – 14 – 0
5 Muskoka Giant – Mark Casse – 4 – 0