Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen recorded his first victory in a Canadian classic on Tuesday evening when Tone Broke captured the $304,920 Prince of Wales at Fort Erie, defeating Avie’s Flatter and One Bad Boy and thus overturning the result of last month’s Queen’s Plate at Woodbine.
A tracking third behind pace-setting Plate winner and even-money favorite One Bay Boy, Tone Broke made a three-wide bid into contention at the top of the lane and steadily wore down Plate runner-up Avie’s Flatter, who had assumed command in mid-stretch. Tone Broke pulled away late under Ricardo Santana Jr. to win by two lengths.
“I put him in a great spot. He broke really sharp,” Santana said. “Turning for home, he gave me a nice kick.”
Owned by L and N Racing, Tone Broke covered 1 3/16 miles over a fast track in 1:56.56. He paid $13.20. Avie’s Flatter finished second with One Bad Boy a neck behind in third. He’s a Macho Man and Skywire completed the order of finish.
Unplaced in his first two outings, Tone Broke graduated by more than 15 lengths at Remington Park in his third start, following up with an allowance score over the same track. He was a rallying fourth in his final start at two, the $400,000 Springboard Mile.
Up the track in the Al Bastakiya Trial and Al Bastakiya itself at Meydan in Dubai to start his three-year-old campaign, Tone Broke finished second in the $100,000 Sir Barton at Pimlico on his return to the U.S., which preceded his third-place effort in the Queen’s Plate. His record now stands at 10-3-1-1, $347,760.
Bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry and a $40,000 Keeneland September graduate, Tone Broke is by Broken Vow and out of the Grade 3-placed Mendocino Beano, by Smart Strike. Tone Broke is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Stallion Heiress and is from the family of Canadian champion and recent Forbidden Apple (G3) winner Mr Havercamp.
