Mansetti looks for another jewel in his crown in Prince of Wales
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King’s Plate winner Mansetti will try to keep his roll going at Fort Erie in Tuesday’s second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the 90th running of the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes over 1 3/16 miles on the dirt.
Mansetti’s front-running score on Tapeta in the 1 1/4-mile Plate was a memorable one for Woodbine’s leading rider, Pietro Moran, who became the first apprentice to win the historic stakes since Herb Lindberg in 1935. The 20-year-old also became the youngest Plate-winning jockey since 19-year-old Dave Stevenson in 1956.
Mansetti went into the Aug. 16 Plate fresh off a victory in the Grade 3 Marine in late June. He rode a golden rail in a 2 1/2-length score over Tom’s Magic, who bypassed the Wales while aiming for the Sept. 28 Breeders’ Stakes, the final Triple Crown race on Woodbine’s inner turf.
Trainer Kevin Attard shipped Mansetti to Fort Erie last Tuesday for a half-mile breeze along with his other Wales runners, Faber and Dewolf. Mansetti and Faber worked together in 48.80 seconds and Dewolf breezed a solo half in 49 seconds.
“They all worked well and handled the ship well,” Attard said. “Mansetti looked really good out there.”
Mansetti showed early foot before fading to finish a distant fifth in his only dirt start in the Jan. 4 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.
“It was a real heavy track,” Attard recalled. “A lot of horses struggled with the track that day. He didn’t run his race. He’s just a different horse now. He’s matured a lot mentally. He’s grown up. From what I saw from him working, I don’t think the dirt will be an issue.”
Dewolf got fifth in the Plate by a nose over Faber, who had a terrible trip while making his way through traffic in a deceptively good performance. Attard believes Faber could have been third with a clear run.
“I wouldn’t say he could have beaten Tom’s Magic for second, but I think he could have been a clear third,” Attard said. “This race is a little shorter, which might not work in his favor, but it’s funny track. A lot of horses make that wide, looping move over the crown of the track. I could see him making that move around the turn.”
Mansetti was tabbed as the 2-1 favorite in the seven-horse field of Canadian-bred 3-year-olds. Dewolf is 7-2 and Faber is 5-1.
Scorching was made the 3-1 second choice. He outbroke the others in the Plate but seemingly lost all chance when his rider let Mansetti control the pace on the live rail and eventually faded to fourth. Dylan Davis picks up the mount.
Ashley’s Archer trailed in 13th in the Plate after failing to make the lead as planned, according to trainer Mark Casse. Runaway Again was supplemented off a 10th in the Plate after working five-eighths in a bullet 59.60 seconds over Woodbine’s training track Sept. 1. Humber River defeated Ontario-sired allowance opposition in his last outing.
“He’s a fresh horse,” trainer Robert Tiller said of Humber River. “We’re going to have to find out if he fits with these.”
The ninth on a 10-race card, the Prince of Wales’s post time is 5:35 p.m.
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