ns before, but this time it feels different. For the first time in club history the Reds have won back-to-back games to start the MLS season. There is of course still much work to be done. This is a team in t

TORONTO - Amis Holiday, a rallying runner-up to Lexie Lou in the Queens Plate, heads a list of 11 horses nominated to the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, to be held on Tuesday, July 29 at Fort Erie Racetrack. MLB Jerseys China . The 79th edition of the Prince of Wales for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds will be televised live on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt. At a distance of 1 3/16-miles, the Prince of Wales is the only race in the Canadian Triple Crown Series that is run on a traditional dirt surface. The Queens Plate, a 1 1/4-mile Poly test is the first jewel of the Triple Crown which is completed by the Breeders Stakes, a 1 1/2-mile endurance test over Woodbines E.P. Taylor Turf Course, to be held on Sunday, August 17. Queens Plate winner Lexie Lou was not among the nominees, but trainer Mark Casse, who won last years Prince of Wales with Uncaptured, has nominated Matador and East Side. Amis Holiday, an Ivan Dalos homebred son of Harlans Holiday-Victorious Ami, started from the outside post under Luis Contreras in a 15-horse strong Plate field with the filly, Lexie Lou, leaving from Post 14. The bay settled near the back of the pack in the 1 1/4-mile classic and tracked the run of Patrick Husbands and Lexie Lou through the final turn before a thrilling stretch run. While Lexie Lou had a clear path to the wire, Contreras had to maneuver Amis Holiday to the rail to avoid traffic trouble, closing with intent to finish 1 1/2-lengths behind the winning filly. "I was really happy with him. I thought he made a tremendous run," said trainer Josie Carroll. "The filly came from right inside of us. You cant take anything away from her, she ran a great race." Amis Holiday breezed four furlongs in :50.20 on Thursday morning over the Woodbine Poly. "He came out of the Plate very well," said Carroll. "Hes going to go down to Fort Erie on Monday to have a gallop over the track and see the paddock. His final breeze will be back here at Woodbine." Amis Holiday will be making his first dirt start in the Prince of Wales, but the colt spent part of his winter at Oaklawn Park with Carroll before shipping to Keeneland for his seasonal debut when fourth in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes. "He was on the dirt all winter at Oaklawn and he was fine on the dirt," said Carroll. With a record of 2-2-1 from seven starts and purse earnings of $423,460, Amis Holiday has been a consistent performer for his owner-breeder topped by a win in Octobers Grade 3 Grey Stakes at Woodbine. Carroll is hopeful the colt will earn Dalos a coveted Classic win at Fort Erie. "When you look at the horses that Mr. Dalos has bred, with that back pedigree of Victory Gallop (sire of dam Victorious Ami), he definitely sets out to breed a horse for endurance," said Carroll. Lions Bay, trained by Jamie Attard for longtime owners/breeders Martin and Vicky Earle and their sons, Nicholas and Jonathan, arrives at the Prince of Wales from a troubled sixth-place run in the Queens Plate. The Sligo Bay colt entered the Plate with back-to-back wins, but trouble arrived almost immediately after the break for horse and rider David Moran. "He broke well, but two steps out he stumbled and grabbed the inside of his front right foot and bent his shoe down about an inch and a half," said Attard. "It made him uncomfortable and David said he wasnt able to stride out like he normally would." "The filly ran a huge race that day and I dont want to take anything away from her. I dont think we would have won, but we think we could have been fourth. There were only 2 1/2-lengths from fourth to six in the Plate and we felt we could have been right there." Good news coming out of the race is that Lions Bay appeared no worse for wear. "Thankfully we came back to the barn and he didnt have a nick on him," said Attard. "We pulled the shoe right away and his foot is fine. We put a new shoe on him and hes training beautifully, so it seems to be a non-issue." Lions Bay will breeze over Woodbines dirt training track on Tuesday afternoon in his final Prince of Wales prep. "He did most of his preliminary training last year on the training track and hes had a number of works over it and he handles it fine," said Attard. "I understand that Fort Erie is a little bit different of a dirt surface, but weve breezed here in :47 and change, so he handles the dirt very well." Matador and Coltimus Prime, seventh and ninth in the Plate respectively, are also expected to make the short trek down the Queen Elizabeth Way for the Prince of Wales. Matador, trained by Casse for John Oxley, arrived at the Plate from an easy allowance win after trying his luck in a series of U.S. Triple Crown prep races where his best result was a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Casse won the 2013 edition of the Prince of Wales with Uncaptured, the 2012 Canadian Horse of the Year. Coltimus Prime, a dark bay Milwaukee Brew colt, was part of the early pace in the Plate before fading. The Justin Nixon trainee boasts a record of 2-2-0 from eight career starts including an allowance score heading into the Plate. Owned by Cabernet Racing Stables, the social media savvy connections also attempted to make the Kentucky Derby with ColtimusPrime, finishing a good fifth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland before deciding to focus on the Plate. Newcomers to the Canadian Triple Crown experience on the nomination list include Ascot Martin, Bangkok, East Side, Lynx, Money Talks, Rhythm Blues and Smart Spree. Of that group, Money Talks, a dark bay Mobil gelding trained by William Tharrenos, seems certain to make the Prince of Wales field. Money Talks, under a patient steer from Jesse Campbell, toppled an optional claiming field in style on Friday afternoon at Woodbine covering 1 1/16-miles in 1:45.28. Making his first start since May 19, Campbell settled into fifth position along the rail with Money Talks and waited until the top of the lane to split rivals with an impressive turn of foot for a 4 3/4-length score. "Jesse just let him run the last eighth of a mile. He looks pretty fit right now," said Tharrenos following the race. "That little break really helped him. He had a two month break and in a couple works it showed in the morning that hes coming along very well. "I think well point there (the Prince of Wales) as long as he comes out of it well. We were really pleased to have that little break and let him come back to himself. He wasnt right the last couple starts, but we have him right now." Money Talks boasts a record of 3-2-1 from 10 career starts and has faced older company in all four of his 2014 starts. Tharrenos is confident the gelding will handle the dirt. "He trains well on it in the morning and I think this (result) will get him to peak right on," said Tharrenos. The draw for the Prince of Wales will take place on Friday, July 25th in the Fort Erie Race Office at 1pm. The Prince of Wales will be run on Tuesday, July 29th. First race post time is scheduled for 4:15. The Prince of Wales will be televised on TSN from 7pm to 8pm EDT with the Prince of Wales scheduled for 7:40 pm. Cheap Baseball Jerseys . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . -- Canadas Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web. http://www.cheapjerseysauthenticmlb.com/ . - Their offence is underperforming.Toronto FC supporters have heard all about it. They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. Jermain Defoe is a difference maker. Just two matches into his Major League Soccer career, the England international now has three goals. He followed up his opening day brace by scoring the winner against DC United in the clubs home opener on Saturday. MLSE has spent big bucks bringing the former Spurs forward to Toronto as part of a remarkable offseason transformation and even at this early stage, they are seeing a return on their investment. On Saturday, BMO Field was alive again. It was like 2007 all over again. A stadium and fan base that has seen the life gradually sucked out if it, year by year, failure after failure, was reinvigorated. With Defoe, its not just about the goals. Far from it. His movement is exceptional. Against D.C. United he created three first half chances which showcased his exceptional reading of the game - he was one or two steps ahead of the D.C. defence every time he sensed a potential opening in front of goal. An MLS coach told me last year he believes when LA Galaxys Robbie Keane is on his game, he is "unstoppable." Defoe has shown in his first two matches that he has the ability to have that same impact in Major League Soccer. And its not just Defoe. MLSE President Tim Leiweke must have been grinning from ear to ear when he saw three of the clubs big offseason acquisitions involved in the only goal of the game against D.C. Michael Bradley played a lovely ball through for Brazilian Gilberto who saw his shot saved by Bill Hamid, only for Defoe to pounce and score his third goal in just two matches. For the second week in a row, Bradley ran the midfield. Prior to signing Bradley, TFC GM Tim Bezbatchenko described him as "the heart and soul" of the U. Cheap MLB Jerseys. S. Mens National Team. He has very quickly become he heartbeat of Toronto FC as well. It was also the first chance we got to see Gilberto. The 24-year-old missed most of preseason through injury but started against D.C. and was impressive showing some quality touches as well as the physical attributes necessary to succeed in MLS. Defensively, Toronto also looked solid. Brazils number one goalkeeper Julio Cesar kept his first clean sheet for the club while the central defensive tandem of veteran Steven Caldwell and young Canadian Doneil Henry continues to develop a strong understanding. The quality on the pitch and the atmosphere in the stands was night and day compared to six months ago. There have been false dawns before, but this time it feels different. For the first time in club history the Reds have won back-to-back games to start the MLS season. There is of course still much work to be done. This is a team in the early stages of its life together and there will be setbacks and bad days ahead. There are questions about the depth of the squad should some of the key pieces be missing for an extended period of time. Head coach Ryan Nelsen talks often about the fact the team is not anywhere near where he wants it to be - he told me he wants the team to be able to win playing beautiful football and also learn how to win ugly. Saturday was probably somewhere in between. It is very much a work in progress and will remain so for many weeks ahead, but after seven years of missing the playoffs, on Saturday at BMO Field it was a celebration for Toronto FC fans as their team finally gave them some hope for the future. ' ' '