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‘Scrappy Little Horse’ Mighty Heart Up For The Challenge In Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday

Lawrence Cordes' Mighty Heart will keep an eye on the prize – literally – after the 4-year-old son of Dramedy leaves the starting gate in Saturday's $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Although he has the use of only one eye, the over-achieving colt has persevered to become a multiple graded-stakes winner with purse earnings over $1 million. The homebred colt, whose left eye had to be removed following a paddock accident when he was only two-weeks old, reached the pinnacle of Canadian racing when he won the 2020 Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Triple Crown for Ontario-bred 3-year-olds. The homebred colt also won the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie on his way to being honored as the 2020 Canadian Horse of the Year.

“He has been a lot of fun for us. He was the underdog in the Queen's Plate and he ran the race of his life,” trainer Jose Carroll said. “He always shows up. I call him a scrappy little horse. He loves to go head-and-head. He's a trying little horse.”

Mighty Heart will carry highweight of 126 pounds in the Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational [(G1), Jan. 29], on Saturday's 11-race program with five stakes, four graded, including the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale, a 1 1/8-mile prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1).

The ultra-consistent Mighty Heart, who is coming off a victory in the Autumn Stakes (G2) on Woodbine's Tapeta surface over which he won the Queen's Plate. The resilient colt captured the Prince of Wales, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on dirt but failed to pull off a series sweep, finishing far back in the Breeders' Stakes over Woodbine's turf.

“I don't think the turf was the reason. He broke sharply and was headed by a longshot, and he never came off the bridle. He galloped right along early and got tired,” Carroll said.

Mighty Heart is rated second in the morning-line at 9-5 behind Todd Pletcher-trained Fearless, the 8-5 favorite who captured the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) last season.

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Canadian Champion Mighty Heart Faces Pletcher-Trained Fearless In Harlan’s Holiday

Repole Stable's Fearless will make a bid to return to graded stakes-winning form while making his second start off a six-month layoff in Saturday's $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, and the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a 1 1/8-mile turf event for 3-year-olds and up, will co-headline Saturday's program, on which the $100,000 Sugar Swirl (G3), a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, the $100,000 Suwannee River (G3), a mile turf stakes for fillies and mares, and the $100,000 Rampart, a mile event for fillies and mares, will be renewed.

The Harlan's Holiday and Fort Lauderdale are preps for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), respectively, Jan. 29 at Gulfstream. The Suwannee River is a prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3) on the same program.

Fearless is coming off a second-place finish in the Nov. 21 Miami Gardens overnight handicap, in which he lost for the first time in fourth starts at Gulfstream. The 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding was the even-money favorite in his first start since finishing third in the May 14 Pimlico Special (G3).

“He likes the track and he ran a good race off the layoff, so we're thinking that should set him up good for the Harlan's Holiday,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Prior to coming up a length short of beating Girolamo's Attack, Fearless had gone 3-for-3 at Gulfstream, including a victory in the Feb. 27 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

Due to his large size, Fearless didn't make his career debut until the very tail end of his 3-year-old season, capturing a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream. He came right back to win a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at the Hallandale Beach track.

“I remember him as a yearling, and the one concern was – how big he was,” Pletcher said. “Fortunately, he hasn't grown a lot. He was big enough to begin with. He was a horse that the guys at WinStar said was a difficult horse to break and get ready.

“He's been gelded and since then, his behavior has been good and he's been consistent. He added.

Luis Saez is scheduled to ride Fearless for the first time since guiding the Pletcher trainee to victory in his debut.

Multiple graded-stakes winner Mighty Heart looms as a formidable opponent for Fearless in the Harlan's Holiday. The Lawrence Cordes homebred is coming off a front-running victory in the Autumn (G2) at Woodbine after finishing fourth in the Durham Cup (G3).

“In his prior race, he blew a shoe and didn't show up. We figured something went wrong. Coming back, we were expecting him to run well,” trainer Josie Carroll said.

The 4-year-old son of Dramedy won the 2020 Queen's Plate over Woodbine's Tapeta surface before capturing the Prince of Wales on dirt at Fort Erie. The Ontario-bred colt won the Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs, finished second in the West Virginia Governor's Cup (G3) at Mountaineer, and finished third in an optional claiming allowance at Keeneland in his other starts on dirt.

“He's obviously run well on synthetic, but he's also run really well on dirt. He won the Prince of Wales on dirt. When he ran great at Churchill Downs when he won the Blame. His race at Keeneland was also very good.” Carroll said.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez is scheduled to ride Mighty Heart for the first time in the Harlan's Holiday.

Owner/trainer Steve Budhoo's Eye of a Jedi, who finished second in last year's Harlan's Holiday, will seek to improve on a trio of recent starts at a mile around one turn.

“The mile has been killing him. He needs two turns,” Budhoo said.

The 6-year-old gelding won the 1 1/8-mile Ghostzapper (G3) around two turns with Javier Castellano aboard last year. The Hall of Fame rider will return aboard Eye of a Jedi Saturday.

James Woodruff's Blue Steel, winner of the Claiming Crown Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial; Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch and Pantofel Stable LLC's South Bend, an optional claiming allowance winner at Churchill Downs; and Calumet Farm's Twenty Twice round out the field.

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She’s A Winner, Dam Of Bluegrass Cat, Euthanized At Age 25

Regally-bred multiple graded stakes-producing mare She's a Winner, the dam of 2006 Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Stakes winner and stallion Bluegrass Cat, was euthanized on Saturday, Nov. 27 after suffering from colic, WinStar Farm reported today. She was 25 years old.

Bred by Ogden Phipps, the 1996 daughter of A.P. Indy out of the graded stakes-winning and graded stakes-producing Mr. Prospector mare Get Lucky descends from one of the strongest families in the stud book. She is a full-sister to Supercharger, dam of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, as well as a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Girolamo and multiple graded stakes winner Daydreaming, the dam of Grade 1 winner Imagining.

Her second dam is Grade 1 winner Dance Number, a half-sister to Private Account, and Polish Numbers, and the dam of Rhythm, and this is also the family of the brilliant stakes winner and producer Numbered Account, who traces to the immortal and highly influential La Troienne.

“It's with great sadness that we share the news of She's a Winner who suffered a severe bout of colic Saturday morning,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. “Despite our best efforts to save her, the decision was made to humanely euthanize her. She meant the world to all of us here at WinStar. This family has been very good to us. She will be greatly missed.”

In addition to Bluegrass Cat, a WinStar Farm homebred who banked $1,761,280 in a stellar racing career, She's a Winner is also the dam of Dramedy, winner of the 2015 Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland; multiple graded stakes winner Lord of the Game; graded stakes-placed Cal Nation; and stakes winner Sonoma Cat.

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Magic Michael Proves To Be Horse For The Course In Parx Racing’s Commonwealth Cup

Morris Kernan Jr., Yo Berb's Racing and Jagger Inc.'s Magic Michael used his home court advantage to earn his first stakes victory in the $200,000, Grade 3 Greenwood Cup on Saturday at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

Trained by Jamie Ness, Magic Michael settled near the back o the field as Sea Foam set the pace through fractions of :24.82, :50.07 and 1:16.13. As Last Samurai overtook Sheer Flattery in the stretch, Magic Michael got there in the final strides to win by a neck.

“The longer I was sitting, the more he was wanting to go, and once I set him up and got him up to third, man he really took off,” said Frankie Pennington, who won his second race on the Pennsylvania Derby undercard. “He is very consistent, Jamie (Ness), does a great job with him, and I think the more distance the better with this horse and he was right on point.”

Magic Michael, who covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:32.01 and paid $11.00 to win, has now won 7-of-8 races at Parx for leading trainer Ness, who claimed the 4-year-old Dramedy gelding for $30,000 at Churchill Downs on Nov. 14, 2020.”

“You know, we are local. A big day. Took a little bit of a shot here but the horse seems to do well over this track,” Ness said. “We have been pointing to this race for two months. It came up a little stronger than we thought it would. But we are here, took a shot and my jock knows this track real well. I think he won the race for me today.”

Last Samurai finished second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Sheer Flattery in third, with Lookin at Roses another six lengths back in fourth. Moretti, the 2-1 favorite finished fifth and was followed by Shooger Ray Too, 2019 G1 Pennsylvania Derby winner Math Wizard, Sea Foam and Forewarned.

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