Fort Erie: Prince of Wales favoritism to Queen's Plate runner-up Irish Mission

Michael Burns

Irish Mission will break from post 6 as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Prince of Wales.

FORT ERIE, Ontario – Irish Mission, winner of the Woodbine Oaks and runner-up in the Queen’s Plate, will break from post 6 and has been made the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Sunday’s $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes.

A field of nine was entered for the Prince of Wales at the ceremonial draw here Wednesday with Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte the guest drawmaster.

“It’s a perfect draw this time,” said trainer Mark Frostad, who had watched Irish Mission break from the outside post in the field of 14 for the Queen’s Plate.

“I don’t think post position will have a whole lot to do with anything here but I’m happy with it.”

Irish Mission is one of two fillies in the lineup, along with Dixie Strike, for the Prince of Wales, which will be run over 1 3/16 miles of Fort Erie’s dirt surface.

Dixie Strike was fifth as the odds-on choice in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks on June 3 but rebounded with a third-place finish in the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate three weeks later.

Trained by Mark Casse, Dixie Strike has been made the 3-1 second choice by Woodbine oddsmaker Jennifer Morrison and will begin from post 4.

Alex Solis retains the mount on Irish Mission while Patrick Husbands will be back aboard Dixie Strike.

Colleen’s Sailor, fourth in the Queen’s Plate for trainer Roger Attfield, is the 4-1 third choice in the Prince of Wales and drew the outside post. Corey Nakatani will be flying in for a return mount.

“The post’s good,” said Attfield. “I think the only post that nobody really wants is the 1-hole.”

Ultimate Destiny, the Queen’s Plate fifth, and Quaesitor, a 1 1/16-mile maiden winner in his seasonal bow, both have been pegged at 8-1 in the morning line.

Steven Bahen retains the mount on Ultimate Destiny, who will start from post 2 for trainer Mike Keogh.

Quaesitor, conditioned by Ian Howard, was supplemented to the Prince of Wales at a cost of $12,500 and will have Slade Callaghan aboard from post 8.

Classic Bryce, who ran eighth in the Queen’s Plate but vanned down here Monday to work over the Fort Erie surface for trainer Darwin Banach, is a 12-1 chance and will start from post 1 under returning rider Todd Kabel.

Dead On, 10-1, and Menlo Castle, 15-1, both will be racing for the first time in six weeks after finishing seventh and eighth in the June 3 Plate Trial at 1 1/8 miles.

Emma-Jayne Wilson will ride Dead On, the only horse in the Prince of Wales field to have raced on a dirt surface. He will break from post 3 for trainer Malcolm Pierce.

Trainer Ralph Biamonte has recruited Jermaine Bridgmohan to ride Menlo Castle and also will send out Run in Aruba, who is listed as the longest shot in the Prince of Wales at 20-1.

Menlo Castle drew the 5 hole and Run in Aruba begins from post 7.

Conspicuous by his absence from the Prince of Wales field is Queen’s Plate winner Strait of Dover, whose dirt form racing at Hastings and training in Florida had left something to be desired.

Strait of Dover is training up to Woodbine’s $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, the 1 1/2-mile turf race on Aug. 5 which is the final leg of the Triple Crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.