Two new shooters join Plate veterans

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - One to Celebrate and Picadilly Bay will be joining five Queen's Plate contestants in the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, Sunday's $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie.

But will One to Celebrate and Picadilly Bay add significant new blood to the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales? Or will they merely be gobbled up by Niigon and A Bit O'Gold, who will be taking most of the action in the 1 3/16-mile race after dominating their rivals in the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate?

One to Celebrate, trained by Reade Baker, made his first start around two turns here July 1, registering a 5 1/4-length victory under Rui Pimentel. That race, at 1 1/16 miles, was for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and upward at the first allowance level.

"I think you had to be impressed with his race the other day," said Baker. "He had to go head-and-head with another horse early."

Baker came close to upsetting the 2000 Prince of Wales with Cool N Collective, who came into the race off a maiden win here and was beaten a half-length as the third-place finisher behind Plate winner Scatter the Gold.

Baker also has a good recent history at Fort Erie, having sent out Touchnow to beat the heavily favored Eye of the Sphynx in the 1 1/16-mile Labatt Bison City on July 4.

"I think he'll run well," Baker said of One to Celebrate. "He's a big, sound, fit horse peaking into the race."

Picadilly Bay, trained by John Ross, has not seen action since June 13, when he finished fifth in the open, 1 1/8-mile Victoria Park Stakes. He was stretching out for the first time this year in the Victoria Park.

"He just wasn't right when he came back from his last race," said Ross, who had hoped to run Picadilly Bay in the Queen's Plate. "It took him quite a while to get back to himself."

Picadilly Bay had a one-mile workout here in 1:43.80 last Friday, which followed a four-furlong breeze of 49.20 seconds six days earlier.

"This horse still has some things to prove," said Ross. "We'll see how far he wants to go. But he's in good order, it's a seven-horse field, and we'll give it our best shot."