Three decades ago, drama followed a Canadian Triple Crown victor after a prep race and sloppy comments from the jockey Craig Perret.
Thirty-one years ago, Peteski emerged victorious in the Queen's Plate and went on to achieve the remarkable feat of winning the Canadian Triple Crown. However, the events that unfolded during those three races became an intriguing saga, unlike anything seen before or since.
Peteski, the offspring of Affirmed, the 1978 U.S. Triple Crown winner, and the mare Vive, bred by Barry Schwartz from Montreal and trained by Roger Attfield, was named after Schwartz's son. The striking chestnut colt showcased his potential by winning a six-furlong race at Woodbine by an impressive margin of 10 lengths in only his third career start. This caught the attention of Earle I. Mack, a New York businessman with a strong affinity for Canadian racing, who had been searching for a contender for the Canadian Triple Crown. Impressed by Peteski's lineage and after ensuring the horse's soundness through a veterinary examination, Mack purchased him for $150,000 USD.
Despite earning a mere $714 as a two-year-old, Peteski's maiden victory hinted at his latent talent and foreshadowed his future success in the Triple Crown. Peteski possessed the pedigree and had the guidance of Attfield, a trainer with a proven track record, having previously won the Plate on five occasions and secured Triple Crown victories in 1989 and 1990 with With Approval and Izvestia, respectively.
Shortly after his first career win, Peteski made his debut under Mack's ownership. Jockey Don Seymour, wearing Mack's distinct maroon-and-yellow silks adorned with a rising sun emblem, steered Peteski to a resounding seven-length triumph in his first attempt at a two-turn race. This victory was followed by another commanding five-length win.
In the Plate Trial, Craig Perret, a successful American jockey who had previously won the Kentucky Derby in 1990 riding Unbridled, was enlisted to ride Peteski for the first time. Seymour, committed to riding Cheery Knight for Attfield's primary client, Kinghaven Farms, was unable to partner with Peteski in the Plate. The plan was for Perret to familiarise himself with Peteski in preparation for the Plate. As the 3-5 favourite, Peteski engaged in a battle for the lead with Circulating, ridden by Richard Dos Ramos, who carried odds exceeding 6-1. Peteski briefly took the lead after a quarter mile but was overtaken by Circulating, the favoured contender in the Queen's Plate Winterbook, and finished the race a half-length behind in second place.
A few days before the Plate, Peteski underwent a five-eighths-of-a-mile workout with Seymour aboard, completing it in an impressive 58 4/5 seconds. Attfield had primed the horse to showcase his early speed and had also administered Lasix for the first time during the race. Despite the enthusiasm surrounding Peteski in his previous races, the betting interest in him waned for the Plate. He entered the race with odds exceeding 4-1, while Cheery Knight captured the public's attention as the favourite with slightly over 8-5 odds. Cheery Knight had won his previous three races, including the Marine Stakes, as a final preparation for the Plate.
Perret took Peteski to the front immediately and maintained a controlled pace, recording moderate fractions of 23 4/5, 47 4/5, and 1:12 3/5. At that point, Perret faced no significant pressure from behind, making the race relatively easy. Peteski held a four-length lead at the top of the stretch and crossed the finish line six lengths ahead, with a comfortable winning time of 2:04 1/5. Cheery Knight, who had been positioned towards the back of the pack, had too much ground to cover and settled for second place.
Mack achieved a resounding and proud victory in the most significant race of his racing career, which began exactly 30 years ago. Remarkably, he won on his 57th birthday, becoming the first New York resident to claim the Plate. The prize money of $218,600 essentially covered the amount Mack spent to acquire Peteski.
Attfield secured his fourth Queen's Plate victory in seven years.
During the post-race press conference on the sixth floor of Woodbine, Perret expressed his admiration for the colt.
"He exceeded our expectations," Perret exclaimed. "I signalled him at the start of the final turn, and no one could keep up with him. He's a spirited horse that allowed me to do pretty much anything I wanted. I didn't anticipate such a large margin of victory over Cheery Knight, but that's how it turned out."
When asked about the Plate Trial, Perret responded, "I felt I could have won the Trial, but the purpose of that race was to get ready for this one [the Plate]. He ran a good race in the Trial, but the Plate itself was the goal."
Perret's remarks, although not in those exact words, caught the attention of Frank Drea, the chairman of the Ontario Racing Commission. "These are very serious allegations," Drea told Neil Campbell of the Globe and Mail.
Drea charged Perret with failing to make an effort to win and engaging in behaviour detrimental to racing. Essentially, it was believed that Perret was not attempting to win the race and was deceiving the bettors, who were unaware of the plan.
In less than 24 hours, the glorious Queen's Plate victory became shrouded in suspicion. A hearing took place to address the matter before the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, which was scheduled to occur in less than two weeks at Fort Erie Racetrack. Several witnesses were called to testify, and at times, the hearing resembled a dramatic television show. Drea ran the ORC with a strict approach and aimed to expose all aspects of betting. One instance caused surprise when George Williams, the Daily Racing Form Trackman, stated that wagering was common in the press box, which had betting terminals. This elicited chuckles from some of those in attendance.