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Paramount Prince (foaled February 20, 2020) is a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2023 King's Plate. Running the rest of the Canadian Triple-Crown, he placed 3rd in the Prince of Wales Stakes and 13th in the Breeders' Stakes.

Background
Rusnak purchased Paramount Prince's dam, Platinum Steel, at the Keeneland January Sale. She bought her from the Denali Stud consignment for $25,000 USD. Platinum was in foal to Kantharos at sale, and was nicknamed "Stella" by Rusnak. She bred Platinum Steel to Giant Gizmo in 2018, producing the filly Just Imagine. She bred Platinum Steel to Society's Chairman in 2020, producing Paramount Prince. He is the fifth foal bred out of Platinum Steel.

Early years
His breeder, Erika Rusnak, gave him the nickname "Maverick" for his athleticism, strong temperament and aggressive nature. Rusnak said he was one of the toughest colts that she has owned or bred.

Rusnak put the (still unnamed) Paramount Prince up for auction at the 2021 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale. A horse trainer himself, Attard was at the sale on behalf of Michael Langlois and his family, seeking to purchase the family's first yearling. Rusnak approached Attard and asked him to take a look at Maverick. The horse caught Attard's attention. "I saw this big, gorgeous colt, he looked like a Quarter Horse. His x-rays and scope looked good, so I called Mike and we made a deal with Ericka and bought him for $21,000." After the purchase, the Langlois family exchanged name ideas for the new racehorse. They eventually settled with the name "Paramount Prince", suggested by Langlois' wife Charmaine.

Two-year-old season
Paramount Prince started in his maiden race on November 12, 2022. He was jockeyed by the up-and-coming Slade Jones, and was the favored horse with 3-to-1 odds. He placed first out of five horses and won by nine lengths.

The win caught the attention of horse owner Gary Barber, who offered to purchase the gelding. His initial offer was turned down, but Barber then offered the family $140,000 to purchase half of the gelding, entering a partnership with Michael Langlois. Langlois was reluctant to take the deal, wanting to keep Attard as their trainer. After Attard's encouragement, however Langlois accepted the deal.

Attard would start Paramount Prince one last time for the first race at the 2022 Clarendon Stakes. Paramount Prince entered the race with 7-to-2 odds. With a good start, Paramount Prince ran the first quarter-mile in a comfortable fourth place, accelerating to pass third place Rolling Hills before the half-mile mark. Paramount Prince finished in third place, trailing first place Armstrong by 4½ lengths. From that point on, training duties were taken over by Barber's trainer Mark E. Casse. Paramount Prince was moved to Ocala, Florida for the winter, where Casse trained him for his three-year-old season.

Three-year-old season
Paramount Prince's made his first start of 2023 at the Queenston Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack. His first race as a three-year-old and his first stakes race. Veteran jockey Patrick Husbands would take over for Slade Jones. Paramount Prince started the race with 8-to-1 odds, making a strong start from the gate to claim second place early on. For the first half-length, he battled horses Poulin in O T and Kaukokaipuu for first place. Running neck-and-neck with Poulin In O T for the last stretch, Kaukokaipuu would pass them both with a final burst of energy to pass the finish line. Paramount Prince placed second, 1¼ lengths after Kaukokaipuu.

On July 23, Paramount Prince made his start at the Plate Trial Stakes. Horses El Cohete and Runaway Charlie were scratched prior to the race. Starting from starting gate 13, Paramount Prince showed a strong frontrunning performance, taking the lead from the starting gate to cut into the inside rail. He retained his lead throughout the entire race, finishing with a final time of 1:49.99 and beating runner-up Cool Kiss by five lengths. Ericka Rusnak celebrated the win. "A dream come true, an absolute dream come true. I was just hoping he would hold on and he kept pulling away. Just having a horse being talked about in the same sentence as the King's Plate... this is a dream come true."

Canadian Triple-Crown
Motivated by the victory at the Plate Trial, Paramount Prince was set to start at the 2023 King's Plate. Starting from gate 13, Paramount Prince gave a strong start, sprinting into first place and cutting across the field to the inside rail. He ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.93, claiming the victory and beating the runner-up, stablemate Elysian Field, by a half-length. The victory marked Casse and Barber's third plate win, after Lexie Lou in 2014 and Wonder Gadot in 2018. In a post-race interview, Husbands complimented Paramount Prince's strong performance. "At the end of the day, you've got to let the horses talk and don't get too cocky. I had a clean break, I let him do what he likes best, and he just enjoyed the running. I asked him to get over on his right lead and he was just gone." Husbands dedicated the victory to late Canadian jockey Ricky Griffith, who died of ALS earlier that year.

Confident after their victory at the King's Plate, Paramount Prince started on September 12 for the 2023 Prince of Wales Stakes. The race marked the first black-type and first stakes race that would be done on dirt. Paramount Prince was favored to win, with 2.70-to-1 odds by the start of the race. He came second to Velocitor, trailing by 1¼ lengths.

Paramount Prince finished his run at the Triple-Crown with an October 1 start for the 2023 Breeders' Stakes. The race would mark Paramount Prince's first race on a turf track. He came 13th, 24¾ lengths away from first-place Touch'n Ride.

Four-year-old season
On January 3, Paramount Prince went on his first recorded breezing at Casse Training Center. Racing on a dirt track, Paramount Prince came fourth out of four horses, running four furlongs with a final time of 48.60 seconds. Casse stated that he does not have any specific plans for the horse, but hopes to make his first start of the year before the end of February.

Paramount Prince went on a second breezing on January 11. He came second out of six horses, running four furlongs in 48.60 seconds.

Statistics
Legend: