One Bad Boy takes on four old friends in Prince of Wales

One Bad Boy overcame 13 rivals to win the $1 million Queen’s Plate back at Woodbine on June 29, but will face just four rivals Tuesday in the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, which will be run over 1 3/16 miles on dirt at Fort Erie.

A California shipper, One Bad Boy went straight to the front in the Plate, and set modest fractions before drawing clear of the field to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Avie’s Flatter. All five horses in the Prince of Wales field raced in the Queen’s Plate: Avie’s Flatter, Tone Broke (third), He’s a Macho Man (fourth), Skywire (11th).

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One Bad Boy is trained by Richard Baltas and owned by Sayjay Racing, Greg Hall, and Brooke Hubbard. While they believe that turf may be One Bad Boy’s best surface in the long run, he does have experience racing over a dirt track. He debuted with a third-place finish in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint on dirt at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, and then was second to Omaha Beach in his second start, which came over a sloppy surface there on Feb. 2.

Although One Bad Boy hasn’t raced on dirt since, he trained regularly over dirt at Santa Anita.

“He trains well over it,” said Hubbard, the racing manager for the ownership group. “We know there is a lot of history to this track, so we are super excited to be here. We are looking forward to taking on the Canadian Triple Crown. It’s one of the main reasons we decided to stay in Canada.”

Should One Bad Boy win the Prince of Wales Stakes, a $500,000 bonus would be on the line in the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes on turf back at Woodbine on Aug. 17. Woodbine Entertainment and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced the $500,000 bonus to any horse that sweeps the Canadian Triple Crown back in June.

Key Contenders

One Bad Boy, by Twirling Candy

Last 3 Beyers: 94-89-85

◗ He figures to be the pacesetter again in the Prince of Wales and should have the shortest trip around the racetrack, having drawing the rail.

◗ Despite having Woodbine’s dirt training track or a trip down to Fort Erie as dirt training options ahead of the Prince of Wales, he instead breezed twice over Woodbine’s Tapeta following the Queen’s Plate, including a five-furlong move in 1:02.60 on July 16.

Avie’s Flatter, by Flatter

Last 3 Beyers: 89-87-81

◗ After the drawing the outside in the Queen’s Plate, he was forwardly placed early on and looked like he was going to run by One Bad Boy in the stretch.

◗ He’s one of two horses in the field to breeze on the Fort Erie surface ahead of the Prince of Wales, covering five furlongs in 1:00.20 on July 11. “Avie’s Flatter skipped over the track and seemed very comfortable,” trainer Josie Carroll said. “He’s a very consistent horse across every surface.”

Tone Broke, by Broken Vow

Last 3 Beyers: 84-89-77

◗ He’s the most experienced horse in the field on dirt, with a highlight being a second-place finish in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico two starts back on May 18.

◗ He tracked the pair of One Bad Boy and Avie’s Flatter in the Queen’s Plate, but a wide trip may have caught up to him in the stretch.

He’s a Macho Man, by Mucho Macho Man

Last 3 Beyers: 80-80-36

◗ His lone start on the dirt, which came at Gulfstream Park back in January, can be tossed out because he hit the gate. He did breeze on the Fort Erie surface in 1:03.80 on July 11.

“I’m glad we brought him down,” trainer Josie Carroll said. “Patrick Husbands worked him and said he was a little lost on the track because he likes to take a look at everything, so his time wasn’t very fast, but Patrick loved the way he got across the track.”

◗ He encountered some traffic trouble at the top of the stretch in the Queen’s Plate, and rallied nicely after getting to the outside.

Skywire, by Afleet Alex

Last 3 Beyers: 65-87-88

◗ He lost all chance in the Queen’s Plate just a few strides out of the gate after getting sandwiched between Tone Broke and Suitedconnected and finished 12th.

◗ The Wando Stakes winner, he does possess tactical speed, and his outside draw could present jockey Eurico Da Silva with options with a clean break this time around.