Prince of Wales Stakes race set for Sept. 29 at Fort Erie Racetrack

FORT ERIE, Ont. — The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of Canadian thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, will be run Sept. 29 at Fort Erie Racetrack.

Live racing will begin June 2 at the facility without fans, the track announced Tuesday. That will mark a first in Fort Erie Racetrack’s 123-year history.

Fort Erie’s racing card is scheduled to run through Oct. 13.

“Since we will be required to race without fans to start out the year, we decided to move live racing to Monday and Tuesday at 1:20 p.m. ET in order to reduce our competition in the simulcast market and maximize our revenue from simulcast wagering,” Tom Valiquette, chief operating and financial officer of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, said in a statement.

The Prince of Wales Stakes is a 1 3/16-mile dirt race. Woodbine Entertainment announced Monday the $1-million Queen’s Plate, the first Triple Crown race, will take place Sept. 12 at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack.

The $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes is the final jewel. A 1 1/2-mile turf event, it will go Oct. 24 at Woodbine.

Woodbine’s thoroughbred card is set to begin June 6.

“With or without fans, the Prince of Wales Stakes and the Canadian Triple Crown are important to Canadian thoroughbred racing,” Valiquette said. “We are committed to continuing this historic tradition this year, despite current challenges.”

Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs is slated to be the first thoroughbred track in Canada to open this year, it says. Its first card without fans is scheduled for May 25.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2020.

The Canadian Press