July 13, 2005
On Sunday July 17 a field of six will go to the post in the 70th running of the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of Canada's Triple Crown. Three of them made their last start in the Queen's Plate, including runaway winner Wild Desert who is the 4-5 favorite on the morning line and drew post 3. Regular rider Pat Valenzuela will fly in from California for the mount. The other two from that group are 7-2 second choice Ablo, out of post 4, and 8-1 shot Granique breaking from the rail.
Part owner of Wild Desert, Keith Jones, who played his minor league hockey in nearby Niagara Falls, said, "I'm kind of glad that (Plate runner-up) King of Jazz didn't make the trip since he ran a great race that afternoon. When I saw (Wild Desert's 1:07 workout for 5 furlongs at Saratoga) I wasn't too happy. Wasn't a great time but this horse has been that way in the past. I just hope that not a lot was taken out of him in the last race, the track was deep and cuppy and he battled hard so there is a concern of a bounce."
Two of the newcomers, 4-1 third choice Out From Africa, from the outside 6 post, and 12-1 outsider Stephen's Gift, post 5, are trained by John Ross. When asked why both of his charges skipped the Plate, Ross said, "Sometimes it's tough to get a mile and a quarter with these three-year-olds, so we've spent a little more time with conditioning, get these problems to the forefront, and now the horses are very happy with some more foundation under them so we feel better coming here with fresh horses. A dead heat for win between them would be nice."
The other newcomer is 12-1 outsider Autumn Snow out of the 2 hole. Jockey Francine Villeneuve, who just picked up the mount, said, "I'm having a great year, I've been very fortunate, this might be the icing on the cake. This is my favorite kind horse to ride, one that likes the lead, and since I know the (new surface) and I'm comfortable here, maybe we can steal it."
The Prince of Wales Stakes is scheduled to go at 5:10PM on Sunday. The race will be broadcast live on The Score Sports Network from 4:30 to 5:30PM
| PP | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | M/L Odds |
| 1 | Granique | Alec Fehr | Corey Fraser | 8-1 |
| 2 | Autumn Snow | Mac Benson | Francine Villeneuve | 12-1 |
| 3 | Wild Desert | Bobby Frankel | Pat Valenzuela | 4-5 |
| 4 | Ablo | Roger Attfield | Gerry Olguin | 7-2 |
| 5 | Stephen's Gift | John Ross | Steven Bahen | 12-1 |
| 6 | Out From Africa | John Ross | Jono Jones | 4-1 |
