Canadian Triple Crown: Midnight Mascot tops Prince of Wales field

Midnight Mascot will be the horse to beat Tuesday at Fort Erie for the 89th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes.

The field of 10 horses is set and includes five horses who ran in the King’s Plate, the first race of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine, who now will take a swing at the second jewel on the dirt at Fort Erie. At 5-2, the odds-on favorite is Midnight Mascot, who finished third in the Plate, followed by Pierre at 4-1, who finished fourth, and Jokestar at 9-2, who rounded out the top plate contenders in fifth.

Both Pierre and Jokestar are owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, a father-son horse racing duo dynasty who are the reigning champions and will be looking for back-to-back Prince of Wales wins with their pair this year after finding the winner’s circle with Velocitor in 2023. Vitality, 6-1, and Essex Serpent, 8-1, close out the top half of the odds sheet, followed by three horses, Bedard, Wyoming Bill and Passioned, all at 10-1.

This year’s field also includes two long-shot horses, Airosa at 15-1 and Scat Factor at 30-1.

“Even at 30-1, that horse can win,” said veteran jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva, who was this year’s guest drawmaster for the post-position draw Thursday. “With the different surface here at Fort Erie, the dirt track, it makes it a very different race from the King’s Plate, so really, any horse can win this.”