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No Safe Conduct, But Eight Sophomores Entered For Second Leg Of Canadian Triple Crown

A competitive field of eight horses will take part in the 86th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes, the 2nd jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown (CTC).

Six of those contenders are coming off varied performances in the Queen's Plate. The 2021 Queen's Plate winner Safe Conduct will by-pass the Prince of Wales, but H C Holiday who placed third in the Plate will be looking to improve on his performance going 1 3/16-miles over the border oval's dirt course on Tuesday, September 14.

Trained by Kevin Attard, the dark bay colt is the son of Ami's Holiday. A graded stakes winner, Ami's Holiday was a runner-up in the 2014 Queen's Plate and finished third in the 2014 Prince of Wales Stakes. He went onto capture the third jewel of the CTC, the Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine. His leading progeny, H C Holiday put in his final work over the Fort's dirt course earlier this week. His conditioner is pleased with his training heading into next week's race.

“He's trained really well. He came out of the race (Queen's Plate) in great shape. I thought he looked really good on the dirt training track at Woodbine. We brought him on Tuesday (to the Fort) as well and he went (1:01:20) by himself and seemed to be striding out really nice. He looked pretty smooth going over Fort Erie's course. Obviously if he runs back to that kind of race like last time in the Plate, he will be tough to beat.”

Owned by Ivan Dalos, H C Holiday will be ridden by Luis Contreras. Contreras has piloted several horses to victory in the Prince of Wales, including Pender Harbour (2011), Amis Gizmo (2016), and Cool Catomine (2017).

Attard will also saddle Harlan Estate (seventh in the Plate) and Haddassah (eighth in the Plate). Both horses have worked well heading into next week's race. Attard was impressed with Harlan Estate's work over the dirt earlier this week at the Fort.

“I was most surprised with him. He worked really well. He hasn't been that great of a work horse, so he looked pretty comfortable. He went 59 and change. I'm kind of pumped about his chances. In my mind after watching him work I think his chances have increased. He came out of the work in good shape as well and he's a horse that kind of plods along. He will need a good trip and he can't afford to get stopped midway,” said Attard.

Meanwhile fifth-placed Plate finisher, Keep Grinding will continue the grind heading into the second jewel of the CTC. Trained by Tino Attard for Kevin's son, Joshua Attard, the bay colt posted his final work at the Fort, in company with Harlan Estate going (:59:40) over the dirt.

Avoman, winner of the 2021 Plate Trial Stakes and the 2020 Bull Page Stakes at Woodbine is looking to step up his game after a sixth-place finish in the Plate. The bay gelding will be sent out by conditioner, Donald MacRae and ridden by Antonio Gallardo.

The lone filly taking on the boys this year will by Mark Casse's trainee, Curlin's Catch. The daughter of Curlin is coming off a fifth-placed finished in the Woodbine Oaks. She will be guided by veteran rider, Patrick Husbands. Back in 2018, Husbands clinched the Queen's Plate and the Prince of Wales with a filly named Wonder Gadot, trained by Mark Casse as well.

Looking to make waves in the Prince of Wales is Gail Cox's trainee, Tidal Forces. Owned by Sam-Son farm, the son of Malibu Moon finished ninth in the Plate. Woodbine-based jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson retains the mount and will pilot the bay colt around the border oval.

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Ready At Dawn, conditioned by Daryl Ezra for Double Blooded Stables, is the Fort-Erie based trainee. The son of More Than Ready will be the race longshot at 30-1. The bay gelding won his last start at the Fort on August 9 going seven furlongs over the turf course. The Prince of Wales Stakes, contested over the turf course, going 1 3/16-miles (nine and a half furlongs) will require the bay gelding to stretch out in distance over a different surface. His conditioner is tapping into the family lineage in order to capture the stakes race.

“I'm relying on his pedigree. His great grandmother Dance Smartly won the Canadian Triple Crown including the mile and a half Breeders' Stakes and his grandmother Dancethruthedawn won a multitude of stakes – the Oaks, the Queen's Plate. The pedigree says distance so I'm going to rely on that to get us through it.”

Despite being the longshot, Ezra feels very confident about Ready At Dawn's chances.

“I've done every job imaginable back here (at Fort Erie Race Track), from charting, announcing, and training. I've seen a lot of races. We are 30-1 in the morning line, but we are as good as anything in there.”

The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes is the middle jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, for three-year-olds foaled in Canada, running 1 3/16-miles over the border oval's dirt surface. First race post time on Tuesday, September 14 is 1 p.m., with the Prince of Wales race scheduled for approximately 5:35 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Fort Erie Race Track is open to a limited number of spectators. Those watching from home can tune into the Canadian Triple Crown Broadcast beginning at 5:00 p.m. on TSN Channels 1 and 3, sponsored by OLG.

For more information, please visit forterieracing.com

$400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown

POST – Horse – Jockey – Trainer – (morning line odds)

Avoman –Antonio Gallardo – Donald MacRae – (7-2)
Tidal Forces – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Gail Cox – (15-1)
Curlin's Catch – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse – (9-2)
Haddassah – Gary Boulanger – Kevin Attard – (12-1)
H C Holiday – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard – (5-2)
Ready At Dawn – MarkLee Buchanan – Daryl Ezra – (30-1)
Harlan Estate – Kazushi Kimura – Kevin Attard – (6-1)
Keep Grinding – Rafael Hernandez – Tino Attard – (3-1)

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Munnyfor Ro Takes on the Boys in Queen’s Plate

Munnyfor Ro (Munnings) looks to become the fifth filly in the last 10 years to beat the boys in Woodbine's most prestigious race, the $1-million Queen's Plate S. for Ontario-breds. Breaking her maiden on the grass while part of the Brian Lynch's shedrow this spring, the chestnut was third in a turfy allowance at Churchill May 8 and was sixth in the GIII Regret S. three weeks later. Sent back to Kevin Attard, she checked in second on the local synthetic in the GIII Selene S. and followed that with a late-closing victory in the Woodbine Oaks Aug. 1. Four of the last five fillies to win the Queen's Plate entered off a win in the Woodbine Oaks and the fifth, Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro), was runner-up in that event.

The top male contender is Joshua Attard's Keep Grinding (Tizway). Graduating at third asking in November, the dark bay was third behind Tidal Forces (Malibu Moon) and Harlan Estate (Kantharos) in a local optional claimer June 19. He was second next out in the GIII Marine S. at this venue July 11, in which Haddassah (Air Force Blue) finished third. Tidal Forces was fifth next out in the Marine, meanwhile Harlan Estate returned to win a nine-panel event here July 16, besting Dance Some Mo (Uncle Mo) by a nose.

Avoman (Old Forester) broke his maiden at second asking in the Ontario-bred Bull Page S. on the local lawn in September. Off the board in the state-bred Frost King S. sprinting on the synthetic in November, the gelding was third when trying two turns in an optional claimer here July 3. He won the local prep for this event, the nine-panel Plate Trial S. for Ontario-breds Aug. 1.

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Home, Sweet (Woodbine) Home For Antonio Gallardo

Antonio Gallardo didn't need to say a word to let it be known he felt right at home.

First came the victory, the one aboard Diabolic in the My Dear Stakes on July 31, then came the winning walk to the Woodbine winner's circle, and then came the ear-to-ear smile.

He duplicated the feat – and same expression – the following day when he guided Queen's Plate-bound Avoman to a score in the Plate Trial.

The jockey from Jerez de la Frontera, in Cadiz, Spain, who had just started riding at Canada's Showplace of Racing, was in familiar territory.

“I like Woodbine,” said the 34-year-old. “I like it a lot. The racetrack, the facility, the people – everyone and everything is very nice. Obviously, I was very happy to have success in the Plate Trial and the day before with Mark Casse's filly. They are two very good horses and it was nice to win with them.”

Winning races is nothing new for Gallardo, even if it didn't start out that way nearly 13 years ago.

Although didn't hit the board when he launched his life in the irons in the U.S. with a single mount on New Year's Eve in 2008, success would soon come.

A modest seven-win campaign in 2009 was followed by seasons of 41, 31 and 42 victories.

It was in 2013, however, when Gallardo established himself as a rider on the rise, his confidence and win total hitting stride simultaneously.

With the first 100-win campaign (101, to be exact) in the U.S. under his saddle, business and opportunities flourished, with one of the highlights coming aboard 14-1 Flatter in the 2013 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Gallardo has excelled in the Sunshine State over the years.

To date, he counts five riding championships at Tampa, and is the track's single-season record holder with 147 winners, established in 2014-15.

He also has four riding titles at Presque Isle Downs, where he took the 2018 and 2019 editions of the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) aboard Hotshot Anna.

But his successes don't end there.

Gallardo has finished in the top six in races won in North America in five of the last six years, including second-place finishes in 2015 and 2016. He has nine graded stakes on his resume, highlighted by Chad Brown trainee Funtastic's triumph in the 2018 running of the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park.

He's even made headlines off the track.

After an interview with a reporter from Fuera de Serie, a lifestyle and leisure supplement found in Spain's El Mundo newspaper, Gallardo became the first athlete to grace the magazine's cover since soccer megastar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Now, Gallardo will look to become front-page racing news at Woodbine. He likes what he sees.

“The track gives you three different courses, which I like. The turf [E.P. Taylor Turf Course] with the long stretch, it teaches you to be patient, the Inner Turf, it's about speed and you have to be close. I'm very happy with the way things have gone so far.”

It might be enough for Gallardo to shed the nomadic ways he's known over the past few racing seasons.

Setting up shop at Woodbine for the long-term might not be such a longshot.

“My goal is to try and see how I do this year and if all goes well, to come back next year. I really like it. I'm tired of moving my tack everywhere and travelling so much. I think Woodbine is perfect for me – riding in one place eight months of the year. I want to work hard, find good horses, and make the most of my opportunities. If things go well in the next few years here, maybe the other four months I can just relax with my family, go on vacations, something like that. Who knows? I don't know yet. I try to go with the flow and see how things play out. But I do like the idea of racing eight months at one track, and to not travel so much.”

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Regardless of where Gallardo finds himself or what career choices he has made and will make, he knows he'll have the support of those closest to him.

FaceTime with his family, currently living in Florida, is a daily routine. He also keeps in touch with his parents, Antonio and Paqui, who live in Spain.

“My family has always been there for me,” said Gallardo, who was joined by his wife Polliana and the couple's children, Carlos and Christa, when he achieved his 2,000th win in his 9,807th start, this February at Tampa Bay Downs. “Being a jockey is a tough life and a tough job, but they make it easy for me to focus on what I do. They inspire me every day.”

That inspiration is one of many reasons Gallardo is off to a hot start at Woodbine.

“I approach every race the same way. I do as much homework as I can on my horse so that I can give them the best chance to win the race. So far, things have gone really well here. I'm very happy.”

It's what happens, smiled Gallardo, when you feel right at home.

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