After claiming the crown at this year’s running of the Queen’s Plate, its winner, Moira may miss out on the Prince of Wales. This week, her trainer Kevin Attard, commented that the filly might skip the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown on September 13, 2022, at Fort Erie Racetrack. In his words, there is no financial incentive for the horse to compete.
As racing fans may know the CA$1 million Queen’s Plate is the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, while the CA$400,000 Prince of Wales on dirt is the second and the Breeders’ Stakes. Currently, the only horse to win all three is Wando who did it in 2003. However, the exceptional Moira may not follow the steps of the Mike Keogh-trained winner.
No Financial Appeal
Shortly after his first Queen’s Plate win, Mr. Attard told the media that Moira could miss the CA$400,000 the Prince of Wales in September. However, he did not rule it out completely. He shared that the horse’s connections fancy a Grade 1 win on her resume, but explained that the reason that no horse has all three jewels is that simply there is no financial incentive for it.
In the past, there have been years when a massive bonus was awarded to the horse who wins all three jewels. Unfortunately, currently, there is no such incentive. The trainer said that the introduction of such a bonus would be very enticing, and if there was one, he would try to convince the owner of the horse to purchase wins at all three races.
Mr. Attard admitted that it is amazing to have a horse recognized as a Triple Crown winner, however, he believes that there is more to the sport than having your name on a plaque. He reminded that horses cost a lot of money to buy and train, and it matters if it is a filly or colt as their value varies if they are sold for breeding purposes.
The trainer continued by saying that if the Triple Crown was worth CA$1 million, then a trainer might consider sacrificing a Grade 1 or Grade 2 if they are able to make CA$1 million from it. This way they can balance the scales. But since there is no current financial incentive to it, Mr. Attard believes that horse owners will prefer other options.
Queen’s Plate Highlights
On August 21, 2022, Moira and jockey Rafael Hernandez rewrote history for Mr. Attard as the filly set a new record for the Queen’s Plate with its 2:01.48 win. The horse got a seven lengths advantage over its competitors as Hall of Dreams placed second and Sir for Sure got to third. Moira paid CA$5.60, CA$3.40, and CA$2.90.
Horse of racing fans will still have plenty to look forward to this Thoroughbred season, as besides the Prince of Wales, there is also the CA$1-million Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile hosted on September 17, 2022, at Woodbine Racetrack. Then there is the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor is slated for October 8, 2022. The race comes with an increased purse of CA$750,000.
Source: Buffery, Steve “Plate winner Moira likely out of the Prince of Wales, the second jewel of the Triple Crown” Toronto Sun, August 24, 2022
