Jockey Jim McAleney guides Breaking Lucky, left, to victory in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes race in Fort Erie, Ontario on Tuesday July 28, 2015.Michael Burns/The Canadian Press
Breaking Lucky proved to be a bad omen to Shaman Ghost's Triple Crown aspirations Tuesday night.
The 13-to-1 long shot came from last to edge the Queen's Plate winner by a neck in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track. Breaking Lucky's victory leaves Wando (2003) as the last Canadian Triple Crown champion.
Breaking Lucky was fifth behind Shaman Ghost in the Queen's Plate on July 5 at Woodbine Racetrack. Shaman Ghost, the 3-to-4 Prince of Wales favourite, was the first Plate champion to race here since 2010 and came in having won four straight, including two on dirt surfaces similar to Fort Erie's.
Shaman Ghost was also attempting to become the first horse since Wando to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. But jockey James McAleney wasn't exactly broken up that his first career Prince of Wales victory also thwarted a Triple Crown bid.
"I love the industry, the industry has treated me wonderful and I always know a Triple Crown winner is great for it," he said. "I would never want to be the rider that disrupted the third leg of the Triple Crown.
"But the second [leg] is still fair game."
Breaking Lucky was last at the three-quarter mile mark before making a strong inside move down the homestretch. McAleney said he was very confident his horse had held on for the victory.
"By the time we hit the finish line I knew I was the winner, absolutely," he said. "I knew Shaman Ghost was down in there, he was looking for room and I knew once he got through he'd come running.
"It [the homestretch] is really long. If I had time, I would've been praying – but I didn't have time."
Veteran trainer Reade Baker wasn't quite so sure McAleney had delivered him his first career Prince of Wales victory.
"I was standing down at the bottom and everybody was yelling 'Eurico, Eurico' [for third-place jockey Eurico da Silva]." Baker said. "I thought I must be the middle horse."
Jockey Rafael Manuel Hernandez was happy with Shaman Ghost's effort.
"I was inside down the backside and had to stay where I was and make one run," he said. "It looked like we were done down the lane, but he came back again and almost got there."