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Josie Carroll Wins Third Queen’s Plate As Mighty Heart Romps In 161st Running Of Canadian Classic

Mighty Heart lived up to his name in a dominating score in the 161st running of the Queen's Plate, as the one-eyed colt trounced his 13 rivals on Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Originally slated for June 27, North America's oldest continually run race was moved to September 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the connections of Mighty Heart, it was well worth the wait.

Bred and owned by Lawrence Cordes, the son of Dramedy flew under the radar leading up to the Plate, but the Ontario-bred bay, in his first stakes test, landed in the winner's circle courtesy of a sensational coast-to-coast score in the $1 million classic.

Sent off at 13-1, Mighty Heart, trained by Josie Carroll, was directed to the front from post 13 as first-time Plate jockey Daisuke Fukumoto guided his charge over to the rail as the field passed the wire for the first time.

Mighty Heart was joined to the outside by Tecumseh's War, while Truebelieve sat third, with Plate Trial champion Clayton settling in fourth. Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser champ and Plate mutuel favorite Curlin's Voyage was forced into an outside journey as the field headed into the first turn of the 1 1/4-mile Tapeta test.

There was no change in the top four positions as Mighty Heart led the field through an opening quarter-mile in :23.57.

One-length on top after a half-mile in :47.61, Mighty Heart was still yet to be tested, but just after the 1:12.70 three-quarters mark, Curlin's Voyage, under Patrick Husbands, began a bid from eighth. Rafael Hernandez, aboard Clayton, attempted to get the jump on the Oaks champ, and soon engaged the pacesetter.

As the field turned for home, Clayton was roused to engage Mighty Heart, but to no avail, as the leader easily repelled the challenge and rocketed home to a rousing 7 1/2-length victory.

Belichick, under Slade Callaghan, rallied to grab second spot, while Clayton settled for third, a neck in front of Tecumseh's War. Curlin's Voyage, Canada's champion two-year-old filly, was a head back in fifth.

It was a one-two Plate finish for Carroll, who celebrated her third “Gallop for the Guineas” crown. The Canadian Hall of Fame inductee took the 2006 edition with Edenwold and the 2011 running with filly Inglorious.

The final time was 2:01.98, the second fastest Plate run since 1957. Izvestia, who went on to win the 1990 Triple Crown, won in 2:01 4/5.

“I was concerned for a minute or two with the quick fractions but he looked like he was settling and doing it easily,” said Carroll. “We knew he'd go all day and he sure did. You know what, he's just a very exciting horse who's come a long way for Mr. Cordes, who's had a lot of confidence in him from the start.”

Fukumoto and Carroll are now a perfect three-for-three when teaming together.

“Unbelievable,” said Fukumoto, making his first Plate start. “I can't explain…he's feeling good today, he bolt good. I saw that nobody [was leaving] so I just sent him and he just kept going. After the wire, he still kept going, he didn't stop there.”

Mighty Heart is now 2-0-1 from five starts. He broke his maiden in his third start, a 4 1/4-length score at 1 1/16 miles on July 11 at Woodbine, and arrived at the Plate off a third-place performance at the same distance.

“He was sharp today,” praised Fukumoto. “I thought it was fast but I took the lead so I can't do anything, you know…I let him go. He only has one eye, but he's got a big heart, a mighty heart.”

The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, a 1 3/16-mile race over Fort Erie's dirt oval, is the next race in the tri-surface OLG Canadian Triple Crown series, which winds up with the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Wando, in 2003, was the last horse to sweep the series and the seventh since its exception in 1959.

Mighty Heart returned $28.50, $13.80 and $8.20, combining with Belichick ($20.90, $12.10) for a $730.40 (13-3) exactor. A 13-3-12 (Clayton, $4.20 to show) triactor paid $1,878.70 for a $1 ticket, while a $1 Superfecta [13-3-12-14 (Tecumseh's War)] was worth $19,389.75.

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No Fans At This Year’s Breeders’ Cup; Purse Increases Postponed Until 2021; Keeneland To Host Again In 2022

The Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred horse racing's most prestigious international events, announced on Saturday Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. will be the host site for the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships. Keeneland, which is also scheduled to host this year's World Championships on November 6–7, will hold the 39th championship event on November 4–5, 2022, which will mark the venue's third time as host since it first welcomed the Breeders' Cup in 2015.

The announcement of Keeneland as host of the 2022 event was made in conjunction with the decision to conduct the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships without fans on-site due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was made following close, continuous communications with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Keeneland, local and state government and public health officials and independent medical experts to fully assess the conditions under which major sporting events may expect to operate safely in the coming months.

Under the new operational parameters, on-site attendance will be limited to essential personnel and participants only. Those accessing the grounds will be subject to strict guidelines and protocols put in place as part of Breeders' Cup's comprehensive COVID-19 health and safety plan, details of which will be announced closer to the event.

In keeping with the Breeders' Cup's commitment to showcase the highest quality of competition the sport has to offer, the 2020 Breeders' Cup will be run for $31 million in purses and awards, the same amount as 2019. While many racing events have reduced purses due to COVID-19 implications, the Breeders' Cup is committed to maintaining its lucrative purse levels during these challenging times to support the industry and its horsemen. With purses of $6 million and $4 million, the weekend's Longines Classic and Longines Turf remain two of the richest horse races in the world. The $4 million purse increase announced earlier this year has been postponed to 2021.

“While we are disappointed that we will not be joined by our fans on-site this year, our utmost priority is and always will be to conduct the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the safest way possible,” said Fred Hertrich, Breeders' Cup Board Chairman. “We would like to thank Governor Beshear, state and local health officials and public health authorities for their leadership, guidance and insight as we have worked to identify our options and finalize our plans. Lexington's local community of racing fans, businesses and members of the Thoroughbred industry are the backbone of our sport, and we believe they deserve a second opportunity, in short order, to experience the event at its full potential. As such, we are proud to award Keeneland the 2022 World Championships and look forward to bringing the Breeders' Cup back to Lexington in just two years' time.”

“The decision to hold this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships without fans in attendance was not made lightly,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders' Cup. “However, after many months of careful deliberation, planning and consultation, it has become abundantly clear that this is the right decision in order to proceed with our event while still protecting the collective health of our community. Despite many major racing events reducing purses significantly, we are proud to be able to maintain 2019 purse levels to support our nominators and horsemen during this challenging year.”

“While the World Championships will look different this year, Keeneland and Breeders' Cup remain committed to making the event the best it can be,” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland President and CEO. “We are grateful to continue providing a platform for our athletes and horses to showcase their talent, and we are excited for the event to return in 2022, when fans can experience the full spectacle of Breeders' Cup in the Bluegrass as we originally intended.”

To enhance the viewing experience for the influx of horse racing fans who will be watching the races from home, Breeders' Cup is working with its official broadcast partner, NBC Sports, to develop and introduce innovative and enhanced production elements. The organization is also implementing advanced technologies across its own digital platforms and channels to further engage with fans at home.

All 2020 ticket holders will receive a full refund and will also be granted first access to purchase the same or similar tickets for the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland.

Before the Breeders' Cup World Championships takes place at Keeneland in 2022, Del Mar Racetrack, in Del Mar, Calif., will be the site of the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 37th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, 2020. The event will be broadcast live on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. To learn more about the event, please visit BreedersCup.com/2020.

Breeders' Cup is also committed to alleviating the impacts of the health crisis on the horse racing community and other industry stakeholders in need. To learn more about Breeders' Cup's ongoing support of the community and to contribute to the organization's COVID-19 relief efforts, please visit BreedersCup.com/Donate.

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Goffs UK Yorton Sale Topped by Blue Bresil Colt

Topping proceedings at the Goffs UK Yorton Sale was a yearling colt by Blue Bresil (Fr) as lot 38. The bay is out of SP hurdler Hora (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) and brought £60,000 from Highflyer/NJ Henderson.

Of the 36 horses offered, 28 sold (78%) for a gross of £602,000. The average of £21,500 dropped -12% and the median was £21,000 (+5%).

“Holding any sale during the COVID era has presented us with additional challenges, and none more than this unique sale which is very different to any other,” said Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent. “But that is the appeal of the Yorton Sale and we are delighted with what we have achieved with David Futter and his team.

“The Yorton team had managed to compile a selection of horses that had significantly improved from last year’s sale, both physically and on paper, and this fact was not lost on purchasers who helped to achieve a 78% clearance rate which is a positive result in any year.”

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Canterbury Handles Record $2 Million During Minnesota Festival Of Champions

Rain may have forced scratches and surface changes Wednesday at Canterbury Park, but it did not dampen the spirit of participants in the 27th Minnesota Festival of Champions, an evening of racing restricted to horses bred in the state and designed to celebrate the industry. The 12-race card, with eight stakes, was conducted over a sloppy main track with five races moved from the rain-saturated turf course to the slop in front of a capacity crowd limited to 750 spectators due to COVID-19 restrictions. On track handle was $121,434 while total handle of $2,048,915 was a record for the event.

Ready to Runaway continued her Canterbury dominance winning the $100,000 Bella Notte Minnesota Distaff Sprint by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:10.12, her sixth stakes winner, including a 2019 Festival victory, since being claimed last summer for $25,000 by John Mentz of Lakeville, Minn. The 4-year-old filly came from off the pace, before taking command in the stretch. “I was a little concerned because I thought she would get the lead,” Mentz said. “But she has been so good. When you claim a horse you just hope to get a [winner's circle] picture taken, not win a $100,000 stakes race.” Roimes Chirinos rode the $2.20 winner for trainer Mac Robertson.

Chirinos and Robertson teamed up again to win the $100,000 Princess Elaine, moved from turf to the main track, with Clickbait who is co-owned by Mentz, Jeff Larson and Hugh Robertson. Clickbait won easily by 7 ½ lengths and paid $3.20 as the favorite. Robertson has won a record 37 Festival races.

Drop of Golden Sun raced gate to wire in the 1 1/16 mile $100,000 Blair's Cove Stakes under Francisco Arrieta winning by two lengths over Dame Plata. The 5-year-old is owned and trained by Tony Rengstorf. Made the wagering favorite off a front running win in the Wally's Choice Stakes Aug. 19 at the same distance, Drop of Golden Sun paid $5.20 to win covering the distance in 1:42.57.

Sneeky Diversion, a 2-year-old gelding who eight days earlier broke his maiden at first asking, battled for the lead with eventual fourth place finisher Well Pro for a half-mile in the six furlong $100,000 Northern Lights Futurity before prevailing by 1 1/2 lengths over closer Fitzpatrick in 1:09.80. Sneeky Diversion, who paid $9.80, was ridden by Dean Butler for leading owner Lothenbach Stables, Inc. and leading trainer Joel Berndt. This was the first Festival victory for Berndt.

Jockey Ry Eikleberry wasted no time sending 2-year-old filly Star of the North to the lead in the $100,000 Northern Lights Debutante and was never challenged, winning by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:10.77 for six furlongs and paying $8.00 to win. The filly is owned by Michael Grossman and trained by Francisco Bravo.

Trainer David Van Winkle won $100,000 Crocrock Minnesota Sprint with Fireman Oscar who closed from last to win by three lengths after chasing a pace of 43.93 seconds for the half mile. The 6-year-old completed six furlongs in 1:08.80. Fireman Oscar is owned and was bred by Peter Mattson and was ridden by Alonso Quinonez.

The $70,350 Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity was decided by a head as Corona White Sox defeated favorite Western Reserve with Nik Goodwin aboard for trainer Patrick Swan and owner and breeder Dan Kjorsvik.

“I broke really, really well,” Goodwin said. “I was pretty confident,” he said after a photo finish determined the winner.

Eikleberry closed out the card winning the $67,250 Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby on the favorite Vo Fantastic Aira who paid $3.40. The 3-year-old was a head better than Johnee B. Vo Fantastic Aira is trained by Ed Ross Hardy for the meet's leading quarter horse owner Corey Wilmes.

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