FORT ERIE, Ont., Sept. 10, 2024 – Vitality, a 9-1 longshot, claimed the $400,000 89th Running of the Prince of Wales Stakes Tuesday at Fort Erie Race Track.
The victory marked just the second win in the three-year-old gelding’s career, as he followed up a sixth-place finish in last month’s King’s Plate by scoring the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown in a time of 1:55.72 on the 1 3/16-mile dirt track.
“I feel so full of energy,” said an ecstatic Harold Ladouceur, Vitality’s trainer. “I feel charismatic now. I feel like I’ve joined an elite group. The feeling is phenomenal. … [I feel like I’m going] straight to the top. Yes!”
The win was the first Canadian Triple Crown score that Ladouceur had claimed in his career and he suggested the win was historic for another reason, too.
“I believe I’m the first Indigenous trainer to win the Prince of Wales,” said Ladouceur, a proud member of the Moosomin and Kikino Métis settlements. “I’m so proud to be Indigenous. I’m just a kid from tiny little Lac La Biche, but I feel like I’ve joined a very elite group, and to do that as an Indigenous man, it feels amazing.”
Vitality won thanks to a strong finishing kick down the final stretch of the race. Sitting in fifth place coming around the final turn, jockey Jose Campos moved Vitality to the outside and then let him do the rest of the work as he managed to shoot past four horses, including leader Airosa going away.
“I [told myself] that when I make my move, we were going to have a chance to win,” said Campos.
Racing on the dirt track at Fort Erie, also proved to be an advantage for Vitality.
“I think the horse likes the dirt,” said Campos. “The King’s Plate was not easy. We had an outside position that day making it a difficult trip. Today, we started in the second position and my horse felt good behind the other horses and he’s just an incredible horse.”
Vitality is owned by Stronach Stables and was bred by Adena Springs.
He paid out $20.10, $8.60 and $5.50 as more than $700,000 was wagered on the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second most in the race’s history.
King’s Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness wasn’t part of the 10-horse Prince of Wales field.
In other Stakes action, the 11-race card at Fort Erie Tuesday also featured two races as part of the Ontario Sired Heritage Series in the Rondeau Bay Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the Lake Erie Stakes for three-year-old males, both for $100,000.
Jockey Justin Stein claimed both of those races with the rail horse in each, guiding Frac Amour in the Rondeau Bay Stakes and Junior Hot Shot in the Lake Erie Stakes.
“I really felt confident in her ability to get the job done today. Especially because she’s shown some improvement as well, and here we are,” said Stein of Frac Amour who has now won her last two races.
Frac Amour won in 1:17.16 on the 6 1/2-furlong dirt track, leading wire-to-wire.
With Junior Hot Shot, however, Stein experienced a different trip, opting to sit in the pocket of stablemate Its Time To Shine at around the quarter mark and ride right alongside him until the final turn when Junior Hot Shot took it into another gear to win by a length and a quarter.
“He was comfortable sitting where he was and he was just waiting for some direction, whether I was going to sit back or go around,” said Stein of his trip with Junior Hot Shot. “The stablemate wasn’t clearing, really, so I just let him drive through and the rest is history.”
Junior Hot Shot found the winner’s circle of his 6 1/2-furlong-dirt-track sprint in 1:16.52.
Frac Amour is trained by Julie Mathes, owned by Bruno Schickedanz and was bred by Michael Byrne.
Junior Hot Shot is trained by John Ross, was bred by Dr. Brian Van Arem and is owned by T and T Racing Team.
Complete results from Tuesday’s program are available here, and replays can be viewed on the Fort Erie Race Track YouTube Channel.
FEATURED PHOTO: Vitality winning the 89th Running of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track on Sept. 10, 2024 (Michael Burns Photography)
IN-LINE PHOTO 1: Harold Ladouceur (left) and Jose Campos in the winner’s circle after winning the the 89th Running of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track on Sept. 10, 2024 (Michael Burns Photography)
IN-LINE PHOTO 2: Frac Amour winning the Rondeau Bay Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track on Sept. 10, 2024 (Michael Burns Photography)
IN-LINE PHOTO 3: Junior Hot Shot winning the Lake Erie Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track on Sept. 10, 2024 (Michael Burns Photography)
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