Haddassah Etches Out Prince of Wales Victory
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Photo: Michael Burns
Haddassah (right) takes the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie
Al and Bill Ulwelling's homebred Haddassah made amends for his eighth-place finish in the Queen's Plate with a gritty score over stablemate Harlan Estate in the CA$400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Sept. 14.
Highly touted by his connections since his debut victory last November, the Air Force Blue gelding had checked in third twice this year at Woodbine before his Queen's Plate effort, including a black-type showing in the Marine Stakes (G3).
Trained by Kevin Attard, Haddassah broke sharply and tracked longshot Ready At Dawn through a :23.67 first quarter and :47.30 half mile. Shaken up by jockey Gary Boulanger around the turn, the 6-1 shot struck the front at the top of the lane and surged to the wire, turning back the late challenge of Harlan Estate to win the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown for 3-year-olds by a half-length.
"Kevin said he might be the most talented 3-year-old he has, but he hadn't mentally put it together," said Boulanger, who captured his first Prince of Wales win. "Today, he showed he did."
Trainer Kevin Attard (left) and jockey Gary Boulanger hold the Prince of Wales trophy after Haddassah's victory
Keep Grinding , owned by Attard's son and trained by his father, Tino, disrupted the barn's trifecta, getting up for third over Queen's Plate third H C Holiday .
The 3-year-old gelding ran the 1 3/16 miles on a fast main track in 1:56.15. He returned $15.50 to his backers.
Haddassah, as well as Harlan Estate, competed without Furosemide, commonly referred to as Lasix, in the Prince of Wales.
“(Haddassah has) trained really well and he really matured since the Queen’s Plate—he’s more relaxed in his training in the mornings," said Attard. "We elected to take him off of Lasix for the Queen’s Plate and he ran without the medication today as well just because I thought it was reacting negatively to him. He put it all together today."
Earning his second win in the Prince of Wales, Haddassah increased his earnings to $267,261 and his overall record to 5-2-0-2.
Haddassah was bred in Ontario and is out of the stakes-placed Whywhywhy mare Lady Haddassah, who has a yearling colt by Lookin At Lucky and foaled a Mo Town colt April 14.