HONOUR Prince and Hansa solidified their credentials for the upcoming Classic series of races with victories in the 32nd running of the Prince Consort and Thornbird Stakes races at Caymanas Park on Saturday.

Honour Prince emerged victorious in the Prince Consort Stakes after a dramatic turn of events, being awarded first place via the stewards’ room. Hansa showcased her talent by coming from behind runners to steal victory in the Thornbird Stakes.

The Prince Consort Stakes is confined to native-bred three-year-old colts and geldings while the Thornbird Stakes is for native-bred three-year-old fillies. Both Graded Stakes races, run over seven furlongs with a purse of $1.75 million, are major prep races on the Road to the Triple Crown.

Trained by Robert Pearson and ridden by Phillip Parchment, Honour Prince was well-positioned on the inside rails, battling with Runaway Star (Raddesh Roman) for supremacy. Despite being bumped twice and squeezed for space, Honour Prince persevered. Runaway Star initially crossed the finishing line first, but after a stewards’ inquiry and a jockey’s objection Runaway Star was disqualified, awarding the win to Honour Prince. The finish time was 1:28.3. Mark My Identity secured third place, ridden by Demar Williams.

In the Thornbird Stakes, Hansa, trained by Richard Azan and ridden by Tajay Suckoo, delivered an impressive performance. Hansa sat nicely behind the runners before changing gears and surging forward to claim victory. Hansa beat Social Aviator (Robert Halledeen) and Danka (Romane Gordon) by a length and three-quarters, finishing in 1:28.30 minutes.