Pender Harbour, third in last month's Queen's Plate, captured the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown when he held off the surging Bowman's Causeway by a nose in the $524,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie July 17 (VIDEO).
There won't be a Triple Crown winner in Canada this year with Queen's Plate winner Inglorious skipping the race. But jockey Luis Contreras, who was aboard the victorious filly in the June 26 race, has now pocketed the first two jewels after guiding Pender Harbour to victory at odds of 4-1.
Veteran conditioner Mike De Paulo trains Pender Harbour for owners Dennis Andrews, Sandra Lazaruk, and Rob and Roberta Giffin. Gardiner Farms bred the chestnut gelding in Ontario. The winner is a son of Philanthropist out of the Hail the Ruckus mare Uproar. He sold for $15,783 in the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) 2009 Canadian-Bred Yearling Sale.
Pender Harbour earned his first win in four starts this year.
The stalking Pender Harbour wore down pacesetter Oh Canada in deep stretch and dug down successfully in the last strides as Bowman's Causeway challenged on the outside for Eurico Rosa da Silva. Oh Canada settled for third, beaten by a half-length. The final time for the 1 3/16-mile test in 1:55.74 on a fast track.
Even-money choice Check Your Soul broke outward from his outside post and trailed the field, racing last throughout.
Seven 3-year-old Canadian-bred colts and geldings contested the Prince of Wales. Oh Canada, breaking from the rail, led Queen's Plate runner-up Hippolytus and Welloiledmachine through fractions of :24.41, :47.85, and 1:12.32. Oh Canada took the field into the stretch with a 1 1/2-length lead over Hippolytus.
Hippolytus gave way in the lane as Pender Harbour and the closer Bowman's Causeway took up the chase, setting up the exciting finish.
Pender Harbour won the Kingarvie Stakes in November. In his first stakes try this year he finished fourth in the Victoria Stakes when ridden for the first time by Contreras. With Chantal Sutherland aboard, he returned in the Queen's Plate to finish 4 1/2 lengths behind Inglorious.
Contreras, a native of Mexico City, is currently the leading rider at Woodbine.
Pender Harbour earned $314,4000 for his third win in seven starts, and has now banked $546,097 in his career.
Under equal weights of 126 pounds, Pender Harbour paid $10.30, $4.60, and $3.40 as the third choice. Bowman's Causeway, improving off his fourth-place showing in the Queen's Plate for trainer Chad Brown and owner Martin Schwartz, returned $3.40 and $2.90 as the second choice. The exacta was worth $28.70. Frank Di Giulio Jr.'s homebred Oh Canada was $4.40 to show with Krista Carignan aboard for trainer Robert Tiller.
Hippolytus finished a distant fourth, followed by Welloiledmachine, Oban, and Check Your Soul.
Pender Harbour wins the Prince of Whales Stakes.
Michael Burns Photography