$400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes event scheduled for Sept. 14 at Fort Erie Racetrack

FORT ERIE, Ont. — The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, will be held Sept. 14 at Fort Erie Racetrack.

The Prince of Wales Stakes, a 1 3/16-mile race on dirt, is Fort Erie’s signature event. It will follow the $1-million Queen’s Plate, which will be held Aug 22 at Toronto’s Woodbine racetrack.

This marks the second straight year the race has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, the Prince of Wales Stakes has been run in July.

And it’s unclear if fans will be allowed to attend this year’s race. None were allowed for the 2020 running.

“This event is our most prestigious race at Fort Erie Race Track, and we are committed to running this historic race for the 86th year,” Drew Cady, the GM of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, said in a statement. “Although we were able to safely host a racing season last year, it wasn’t the same without fans. We hope that in the upcoming season we will once again be able to open our grandstand to our loyal fans, especially for our signature day.”

Queen’s Plate champion Mighty Heat won last year’s Prince of Wales Stakes but was unable to complete the sweep in the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes, a 1 1/2-mile turf race. Wando remains the last horse to win the Canadian Triple Crown, accomplishing the feat in 2003.

Fort Erie’s thoroughbred card is scheduled to open June 1 and run through Oct. 19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2021.

The Canadian Press