Fort Erie drills will determine Prince of Wales status for Avie's Flatter, He's a Macho Man

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Josie Carroll is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding who she’ll run in the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the middle leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on July 23 at Fort Erie.

In the $1 million Queen’s Plate on June 29 at Woodbine, Carroll saddled the 5-2 second choice, Avie’s Flatter, who finished a valiant second. Back in fourth was her other runner, the lightly raced He’s a Macho Man, who rallied belatedly in the slow-paced Tapeta event.

The 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales is on dirt. Carroll won it in 2016 with a romping Amis Gizmo, who was coming off a second in the 10-furlong Plate. In the 2014 Wales, she sent out Ami’s Holiday to finish third.

“Both of my horses will probably go down to Fort Erie to work, and then I’ll have a look,” Carroll said. “He’s a Macho Man had a bad experience at Gulfstream when he hit the gate leaving there and hurt himself. It was 30 days before I could train him after that race. I’m not sure how he handled the dirt, so I really do need to work him on it, and I like to go down to Fort Erie to do it. I’ve done that in the past with Ami’s Holiday and Amis Gizmo.”

Avie’s Flatter, last year’s Canadian champion male 2-year-old, has never competed on dirt. Carroll was content with his Plate performance, during which he pressed the leading One Bad Boy on the backstretch, before getting outkicked by him in a 3 1/2-length loss.

“My horse ran his race,” Carroll said. “I thought he was a winner at the head of the stretch, and when they asked the other horse to go on, he just exploded. He ran his heart out. That’s all you can ask.”

In the Grade 2 King Edward on the Queen’s Plate undercard, Carroll sent out Mr Ritz to finish a close fifth after leading the way in the one-mile turf route. He was coming off a nose loss in the Grade 2 Eclipse on Tapeta.

“He might come back in the Seagram, because he’ll do either surface,” Carroll said. “He’s a pretty versatile horse.”

The Grade 3 Seagram Cup is at 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta here Aug. 11.

Carroll was all smiles after sending out the unraced filly Curlin’s Voyage to finish second to the unbeaten Mr. Hustle in last Sunday’s Victoria Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong dash for 2-year-olds.

“I’m very excited about this filly,” Carroll said. “For her first race, you couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Curlin’s Voyage is eligible for the $125,000 Shady Well Stakes for Ontario-bred fillies here July 27.