Prince of Wales Stakes
| Restricted race | |
 Norcliffe, winner of the 1976 race | |
| Location | Fort Erie Race Track Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1929 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Website | forterieracing.com/prince-of-wales |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄16 mi (1.9 km) |
| 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 1+3⁄16 miles (1.9 km; 9+1⁄2 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
[edit]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:
- 1+1⁄8 miles : 1929–1930 at Thorncliffe Park Raceway, 1957–1958 at Woodbine Racetrack
- 1+1⁄16 miles : 1932–1942 and 1947–1952 at Thorncliffe Park Raceway, 1944–1945 and 1953–1955 at Old Woodbine Racetrack, 1956 at Woodbine Racetrack
- 1+3⁄8 miles : 1959–1975 at Fort Erie Racetrack
- 1+1⁄2 miles : 1976–1987 at Fort Erie Racetrack
- 1+3⁄16 miles : 1988–present at Fort Erie Racetrack
Records
[edit]Speed record: (at current distance of 1+3⁄16 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
[edit]A † designates a Triple Crown winner.
Broadcasting
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ "Canadian Hall of Fame Honors Early TC Winners". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Other Sports & Activities".
- ^ "Fort Erie's signature horse race to get TV coverage across Canada - Buffalo Business First".