Sports City Line

The $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes is the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, run at Fort Erie at 1 3/16 miles on the main track with contestants carrying 126 pounds each. Despite winning the Queen’s Plate 3 weeks ago, Mike Fox was dismissed as the 4-1 fourth choice in the 6 horse field, with Plate third place finisher Jiggs Coz the 2-1 favorite over Plate runner-up Alezzandro at 7-2. Queen’s Plate fourth place finisher Daaher shipped in from New York as the 3-1 third choice on the toteboard.

Alezzandro took the lead about a furlong away from the starting gate, and jockey Todd Kabel slowed the pace down to 23.61, 47.58, and 1:11.78 while being stalked by Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard Mike Fox the whole way. Mike Luzzi and Daaher sat just behind these two, while Jiggs Coz was slowest out of the gate and trailed the field around the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch. Taking advantage of the slow pace, Kabel asked Alezzandro to open up at the top of the stretch and he responded, pulling away to a 3 length lead at the 1/8 pole after a slow mile of 1:36.57. Jiggs Coz came out very wide on the far turn and closed very well through the stretch but was left with too much ground to make up. Alezzandro galloped home 1 3/4 lengths clear of Jiggs Coz at the line, completing the 1 3/16 miles on a fast track in 1:55.04. It was a long 4 1/2 lengths back to Daaher in third, while Mike Fox, who had stalked the pace early, faded in the stretch to finish 1/2 a length behind Daaher in fourth, beaten 6 3/4 lengths.

Winning jockey Todd Kabel said, “This is an emotional day, winning this race for (the late) Mr. Stavro and his family. It’s like a family thing with me, one year I won the Plate for the late Mr. Samuel, then I won after my father died, and now Mr. Stavro. Our horse stepped up today, well done job by the team. I knew I had it won by the quarter pole, I hadn’t asked my horse to run yet, but when we straightened up and I called on him he gave me one big kick and I knew there was no way he was going to get beat today. When they give you a kick like that you better have some kind of horse running awful hard to catch up.”