Flirting with another Canadian triple Crown title, Eh!

 The last jockey to win a Canadian triple crown title was the veteran jockey Patrick Husbands who rode Wando into Canadian history and inked his name forever in the books. I can only guess that with that kind of title, one may sit in the jock's room with something more than an edge to his confidence.  

Husbands seeking 2nd triple crown run.

It's been 20 years since that performance by Wando and every year the thought goes through my mind if we will ever see a performance like that one ever again in Canada.  During that time back in 2003 there was still a traditional dirt track at Woodbine and Slade Jones wasn't even born yet while Kazushi Kimura was still wearing Pull-ups.  

Kazushi Kimura

There is no longer the presence of a Todd Kabel, Jim McAleney, or a Jono Jones luring in the jockeys room but the young jocks at Woodbine and Fort Erie will be sitting patiently waiting their turn to play a role in trying to prevent the great Patrick Husbands from repeating a triple crown performance.

Everyone loves a winner but horse racing is unique and that is where the fine line is drawn.

In 2023, marked the first time that the King's Plate was renamed after over 70 years as Queen's Plate and Patrick Husbands took claim to that race in commanding form on Paramount Prince back in August.  The main player in this equation seems to be the trainer Mark Casse who has also stamped his name four times in the history books at Fort Erie Racetrack in the Prince of Wales Stakes.  All the greats in horse racing have one thing in common and that is the love for prestigious titles and championships.  

No one enters a race in hopes of a 2nd place unless you plan to be short-term in the sport.

Rico Walcott

So who will challenge Paramount Prince for the lead since clearly the horse has speed and will dare you to try to catch up and pass him.  Is this a jockey's decision or perhaps a trainer's decision to take the lead away from Paramount Prince and see what unfolds?  It's an interesting time for horse racing and also an interesting time for horse owners and trainers with decisions that sometimes take just a split decision after several scenarios are drawn up.

It's looking like it will be a huge field on September 12th and this tells the public that everyone still thinks that they have a shot at winning this race.  The whispers are that Canadian horse racing is declining but yet the wagering on the King's Plate this year was the most ever at $18,127,049.67.  I suspect that the numbers in the Prince of Wales Stakes will soar as well and perhaps break records based on the field being so big, even on a Tuesday afternoon.

With all of that being said, Paramount Prince will have a huge target on his back in the Prince of Wales Stakes and some others will no longer have that pressure to deal with.  If this race heats up we could be seeing one of the more competitive races on the dirt at Fort Erie racetrack in a long time and I certainly hope so for the name of the sport and the race fans.

I am looking forward to a great day of racing and some fries also.

derek.barntrack@gmail.com