Conquest Boogaloo needs clean trip in Prince of Wales
Trouble has seemed to follow Conquest Boogaloo in each of his last three starts, and he’ll be looking for a clean trip Tuesday in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown over 1 3/16 miles on dirt.
Conquest Boogaloo finished third in the Queen’s Plate on July 5 after being sandwiched at the break and forced wide while closing from off the pace. Prior to that race, he was pulled up sharply to avoid the fatally injured Danzig Moon and finished third in the Plate Trial on June 14, and he was trapped behind horses with nowhere to run in the stretch in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes on May 16, finishing eighth.
“That seems to be his story line,” trainer Mark Casse said. “I was actually amazed at how well he could run after such a tough beginning [in the Queen’s Plate]. There’s a lot of good horses that couldn’t overcome what he did.”
Conquest Boogaloo closed well in both the Queen’s Plate and the Plate Trial, and his strong late kick has impressed Casse.
“He has such a turn of foot,” Casse said. “He just accelerates, especially through the turn. That being said, we have no idea how he’ll handle the dirt.”
Conquest Boogaloo is one of four horses in this seven-horse field with no experience racing over a dirt track. Others trying dirt for the first time are Field of Courage, Queen’s Plate runner-up Danish Dynaformer, and Cut to the Chase, who was supplemented to this race for $12,500 by owner and trainer Nick Nosowenko.
Key Contenders
Conquest Boogaloo (Last 3 Beyers: 80-80-70)
◗ Prepped for the Prince of Wales with a five-furlong breeze on Woodbine’s dirt training track in 1:01.80 on July 20.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan and Casse have combined for a 15 percent strike rate in 20 starts together in non-graded stakes over the past five years.
Shaman Ghost (Last 3 Beyers: 83-82-78)
◗ The Queen’s Plate winner comes into this race in good order, according to trainer Brian Lynch, and does have experience racing on dirt, having won at 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Gulfstream Park and Keeneland.
◗ He tuned up for this start with a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.40 on the dirt training track at Woodbine last Tuesday.
Danish Dynaformer (Last 3 Beyers: 81-83-80)
◗ He made an early move for the lead in the Queen’s Plate and couldn’t hold off Shaman Ghost in the final strides.
◗ He also prepped for the Prince of Wales on the dirt training track at Woodbine, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.00 last Tuesday in company with stablemate Billy’s Star.
Field of Courage (Last 3 Beyers: 76-76-68)
◗ He had won three starts in a row going into the Plate Trial and has been freshened and pointed to this spot by Casse, who has won this race three times, including in 2012 and 2013 with Dixie Strike and Uncaptured.
◗ He shows strong workout times on the dirt training track at Woodbine, including a five-furlong breeze in 58.60 seconds July 12.