Paramount Prince Wants Breeders' Stakes on His Resume

A big field of 14, plus four also eligibles, hope for glory Oct. 1 in the CA$400,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine. The 1 1/2-mile Breeders' Stakes is the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

Leading the charge is Paramount Prince , who won the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the King's Plate Stakes, Aug. 20. 

The last time a horse won two legs of the series was 2020 when Mighty Heart  claimed the first two contests. 

Paramount Prince fell short with a third-place finish by 1 1/4 lengths in the second leg, the Prince of Wales Stakes Sept. 12. 

"He was really gutsy in the Prince of Wales," said trainer Mark Casse. "(Trainer) Josie Carroll's horse (Ottawa) ran head-and-head with him three-quarters of the way, and obviously, the pace was very quick, but he is what he is and that's the way he runs. He ran his butt off, and the winner (Velocitor) ran great and deserved to win."

Velocitor  is not in the field Sunday, but the runner-up in the King's Plate, Elysian Field , is. 

One of three fillies set for the Breeders' Stakes, Elysian Field is also trained by Casse.

"Watching Paramount Prince and Elysian Field go one-two in the Plate is definitely in my top 10 highlights," said Casse. "We were extremely fortunate. It's funny, (owner Gary Barber) told me all morning the day of the Plate that he had a dream we were going to run one-two. And it happened."

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Trainer Kevin Attard has three entries in the race, plus an also eligible: Tiburon  (30-1), Philip My Dear  (20-1), Wickenheiser  (10-1), and Enjoythesilent  (20-1). Wickenheiser, a 3-year-old Lemon Drop Kid  filly, might be the queen of almost in Canada this year. She has three seconds from four starts. The only time she failed to finish second was the King's Plate, in which she was 11th. 

"I thought Wickenheiser came back with a nice effort last time out in the Wonder Where," said Attard. "She broke her maiden on the grass and it's a surface she's run on before. In seven of her eight races, she's been within four lengths of the winner, so we're expecting another competitive effort from her on Sunday."

Another Attard trainee, Philip My Dear, won the Sovereign Award in 2022 for champion 2-year-old colt. A 3-0-2 mark from five starts can elevate expectations. But the current year has not been so kind. 

After three starts—none better than a fifth—trying to regain some of the magic of a year ago before the calendar turns will be a high priority. Since his last win, he's only run on the all-weather track. His first four career starts were on turf.

"We're very excited to see Philip My Dear get back on the grass," said Attard. "He's hooked some tough horses this year, but when you look back at his form, he loves running on the turf and has done exceptionally well on it. He's coming into the race in great shape and hopefully, he's ready to show what we know he's capable of."