Big Red Mike tops Prince of Wales at Fort Erie

FORT ERIE, Ontario – Big Red Mike, the front-running winner of Woodbine’s 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate on July 4, has been made the 6-5 choice for the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes here Sunday.

A field of eight was announced for the Prince of Wales, the 1 3/16-mile second leg of the Triple Crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, at a ceremonial draw here Wednesday afternoon.

Big Red Mike, trained by the Fort Erie-based Nick Gonzalez, will be a sentimental as well as probable pari-mutuel favorite when he begins from post 4 under his regular rider Eurico Rosa da Silva.

With a long run to the clubhouse turn, post position is unlikely to play as important a role as strategy through the early going.

Hotep, beaten 1 1/2 lengths as the Queen’s Plate runner-up, will be looking to turn the tables with this switch from Polytrack to dirt and has been made the 5-2 second choice by Fort Erie oddsmaker Jerry Davis.

Trained by Mark Frostad, Hotep won on the dirt at Fair Grounds this winter and rider Patrick Husbands will break the Sam-Son Farm homebred from post 3.

Mobthewarrior, third in the morning line at 6-1, was a decent fifth while beaten just five lengths in the Queen’s Plate.

Emile Ramsammy retains the mount on Mobthewarrior, who drew the No. 1 post.

Dark Cloud Dancer, sixth while making just his fourth career start in the Queen’s Plate, is the 10-1 fifth choice and will be ridden by Justin Stein.

Also trained by Frostad for owner/breeder Sam-Son Farm, Dark Cloud Dancer would start from post 7 but has been cross-entered in Woodbine’s $150,000 Toronto Cup, an open race for 3-year-olds over 1 1/8 miles of grass on Saturday.

Who We Gunna Call is the other Queen’s Plate returnee in the Prince of Wales lineup, having finished 11 1/4 lengths behind Big Red Mike in ninth place.

Trainer Tino Attard again has given the call on Who We Gunna Call to Gerry Olguin, who will break the colt from post 8 and is a 20-1 chance.

The newcomers to the Canadian Triple Crown series are Mobil Unit, who is the fourth choice in the morning line at 8-1, Golden Moka (15-1), and Captain Canuck (20-1).

Mobil Unit, a restricted second-level allowance winner in a 1 1/16-mile race which was his first try around two turns, will start from post 6 under new rider David Clark.

Captain Canuck, who finished fifth in the Plate Trial, will have American rider Eibar Coa aboard for the Prince of Wales and is to begin from post 2.

Golden Moka, a true dark horse, will be making his North American debut after being undefeated in three starts in Panama last year.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Golden Moka will begin from post 5 under Fort Erie-based rider Anthony Stephen.

Both Mobthewarrior and Golden Moka were supplemented to the Prince of Wales at a cost of $12,500.