Prince of Wales Preview: Mighty Heart Headlines Second Leg of Canadian Triple Crown

FORT ERIE, ON – Lawrence Cordes homebred Mighty Heart, fresh off of his dominating gate-to-wire victory in the $1 million Queen’s Plate, headlines the field for Tuesday’s $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie.

The Prince of Wales is a 1 3/16-mile dirt route restricted to 3-year-olds foaled in Canada and is the second leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown series.

This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 9-race card and has a local post time of 5:37 PM.

Here’s a look at the full field for the Prince of Wales:

1. Truebelieve 30/1 – He stalked the early pace in the Queen’s Plate before fading in the stretch to finish ninth. Trainer Cole Bennett removes the blinkers, a 20% winning move, to hopefully teach the Nephrite colt to settle; his 2 career victories both came from off the pace in sprints.

2. Mighty Heart 7/5 – The surprising 13/1 victor in the Queen’s Plate will try to become trainer Josie Carroll’s second winner in this race and the first to win both events in the same year. Daisuke Fukumoto, aboard the one-eyed champion for the first time in the Queen’s Plate, retains the mount.

3. Dotted Line 8/1 – The well-seasoned Sid Attard trainee didn’t do much in the Queen’s Plate, running in mid-pack from start to finish. However, he was beaten just a 1/2-length in the Plate Trial Stakes a race prior, and he also has a pair of stakes scores as a juvenile on his resume. 

4. Red Mercury 30/1 – He is the first of three runners in the field who still have their maiden status. His best career effort to date came in a 6-furlong sprint over this course on August 3, when he finished second by just a neck while facing maiden special weight rivals.

5. Enchant Me 20/1 – The second of three maidens nearly got the job done last time out, missing by just 3/4 of a length in a mile-long turf maiden special weight at Woodbine. The winner of that race returns here, so he’ll have to turn the tables on that foe while also trying dirt for the first time.

Check our Handicapping Products page to find out how we are playing this and every race on the card!

6. Bold Victory 12/1 – The third maiden in the field returns to dirt after failing to win any of his 4 synthetic starts at Woodbine. His career-best effort came in a mile-long event at Aqueduct in March, which produced a 78 Beyer Speed Figure as he finished third, beaten 1 length.

7. Tecumseh’s War 4/1 – Like many here, he tries dirt for the first time after putting together an 8-1-1-0 record between synthetic and turf courses. His sire, Summer Front, also produced the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) champion Ete Indien as part of this first crop, so he may enjoy the change.

8. Muskoka Giant 12/1 – The son of dirt champion Curlin gives his sire’s favorite surface a shot following a failed attempt against allowance rivals on synthetic. His maiden-breaking effort came on grass over Enchant Me, and if the dirt course comes up wet, he could have a big shot at an upset.

9. Clayton 5/2 – He won 3 of his first 4 career starts, including the Plate Trial, before finishing third in the Queen’s Plate. His sire, Bodemeister, loved the dirt: he won the 2012 Arkansas Derby (G1) and finished second in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Preakness Stakes (G1). 

See our FREE plays for Fort Erie!