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.

The post ‘Scrappy Little Horse’ Mighty Heart Up For The Challenge In Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jockey Daisuke Fukumoto, who was aboard the popular one-eyed colt when he won the first two-thirds of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown last year, was reunited with the champion for today's featured Dominion Day contested over 1-1/16 miles on the main track.

Trained by Josie Carroll and owned by Larry Cordes, the millionaire son of Dramedy established the lead out of the gate and crossed to the rail as he headed into the first turn. A pair of Mark Casse-trained graded stakes winners, Lookin to Strike stalked in behind with the favored March to the Arch just outside pressing the pace.

After a quarter in :25.23 and half-mile in :48.49, the pressure mounted as March to the Arch matched strides with Mighty Heart on the turn while Malibu Mambo rallied three-wide into contention as they passed three-quarters in 1:11.99. However, Mighty Heart fought back and pulled clear of his rivals down the lane to score in 1:43.33.

March to the Arch settled for second, 1-3/4 lengths behind the winner, while Malibu Mambo finished third in front of Lookin to Strike. Skywire, Canada's 2020 Champion Older Main Track Male, completed the field that was scratched down to just five starters.

“I'm glad to get the opportunity to ride this horse again,” said Fukumoto, who enjoyed a career highlight with Mighty Heart when they won last year's $1 million Queen's Plate. “I breezed him a couple times and today I was ready to go, and we did it today.”

Mighty Heart was well prepared for his return to Woodbine, coming off a victory in the Blame Stakes last time out on May 29 at Churchill Downs.

“I thought it [the Blame Stakes] just put him right where I wanted him,” said the four-year-old colt's Hall of Fame trainer. “In fact, he had two works after that, simply because he came out of it so well, we had to sort of take the high note off of him a little bit four days ago so he could settle in this race.

“I think he's just a good horse and he's maturing. We're pretty happy with him today.”

Mighty Heart now boasts five victories from 11 career starts for Cordes, who relished the moment to witness his homebred star in person and hear the fans trackside.

“It's quite a difference,” said Cordes from the winner's circle. “The feeling was much, much better, obviously, and so many fans were behind him.”

Sent postward as the 9-5 slight second choice in the wagering, Mighty Heart paid $5.80 to win.

The scratches were Atone and the Carroll-trained Breeders' Stakes champion Belichick, whose connections opted for an allowance race on Saturday's card.

Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine Racetrack on Friday. Post time for the eight-race program is set for 4:50 p.m.

The post Fans Cheer Mighty Heart Home In Dominion Day Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Racing from Belmont Park is televised on “America's Day at the Races” on FS2. “America's Day at the Races” will also broadcast races from the opening day of Churchill Downs' fall meet on October 25.
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Saturday, Oct. 24

5:43 p.m.—$400,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Mighty Heart will continue his quest to join an elite group of horses to sweep all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown this Saturday in the Breeders' Stakes. Trained by three-time Queen's Plate winner Josie Carroll, Mighty Heart headlines the final jewel of the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, which concludes on Woodbine's world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course with the longest leg at the distance of 1 ½-miles. The son of Dramedy, bred and owned by Lawrence Cordes, is the even-money morning line favorite in the field of 12 having already scored wins in the $1 million Queen's Plate at 1 ¼ miles over Woodbine's Tapeta track on September 12 and the $400,000 Prince of Wales at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt course on September 29.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO102420CAN10-EQB.html

7:37 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Unbeaten in four starts by a combined 25 ½ lengths, trainer Mark Glatt's Magic At Midnight will try stakes competition for the first time as she squares off with Wesley Ward's multiple stakes winning Jo Jo Air in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes which has attracted a field of seven at 5 ½ furlongs over the Santa Anita turf. Claimed for $30,000 out of a first-out 13 length romp on July 14 at Los Alamitos, Magic At Midnight has been nothing short of tremendous in three subsequent starts for Glatt, including a 2 ¾ length score in her only try on grass two starts back in a turf allowance at Del Mar August 14.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA102420USA8-EQB.html

Sunday, Oct. 25

4:55 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Athenia Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Tango Uniform Racing's Feel Glorious will look to bounce back from an off-the-board finish in last month's Grade 3 Noble Damsel with another graded stakes appearance, serving as one of two entrants for trainer Christophe Clement in the Athenia going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf course. Feel Glorious is looking to recapture the form she showed earlier in her 4-year-old campaign, including a half-length victory in the Perfect Sting going the Athenia's distance on August 14 at Saratoga Race Course. Cut back to one mile in the Grade 3 Nobel Damsel on September 26 at Belmont, Feel Glorious ran seventh after going five-wide in the upper stretch and failing to rally, marking just the first time in her last seven starts the English-bred daughter of Bated Breath did not hit the board.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL102520USA9-EQB.html

7:30 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

In top form and bidding for her third consecutive win, trainer Phil D'Amato's Raymundos Secret, along with Simon Callaghan's classy Maxim Rate, head a field of seven in Sunday's Goldikova Stakes. A gutty gate to wire winner of the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes, Raymundos Secret should relish the cutback in distance, as she's won four out of her five starts at a flat mile. Second in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive on September 26, Maxim Rate has three wins from six tries at one mile on grass and will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli, who guided her to a pair of wins this past summer at Del Mar.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA102520USA9-EQB.html

The post Weekend Lineup Presented By Del Mar Ship & Win: Can Mighty Heart Claim The Crown? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trained by Hall of Famer and three-time Queen's Plate winner Josie Carroll, Mighty Heart headlines the final jewel of the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred three-year-olds, which concludes on Woodbine's world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course with the longest leg at the distance of 1 ½-miles.

The son of Dramedy, bred and owned by Lawrence Cordes, is the even-money morning line favorite in the field of 12 having already scored wins in the $1 million Queen's Plate at 1 ¼ miles over Woodbine's Tapeta track on September 12 and the $400,000 Prince of Wales at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt course on September 29.

“He's a little horse that's overcome [a lot],” said Carroll, who won the 2006 Plate with Edenwold and the 2011 running with the filly Inglorious. “There's something in racing we call heart, and horses with heart are what you're looking for more so sometimes than horses with talent.”

Aside from contending with 11 rivals, Mighty Heart could have to contend with turf that has some give to it. The Toronto area has experienced rainy weather in the lead-up to Saturday.

“I can't tell you how he's going to handle a yielding turf,” offered Carroll. “In North America, we very seldom get the chance to run on very soft turf. I believe he'll handle the grass. He's run once on the grass, and we had him up on the E.P. course the other day, and he just skipped across it. Pedigree-wise, we have every reason to think he'll handle it [the 1 ½-mile distance], but until a horse does that, you really don't know. It's a very, very challenging thing to be asking him to do right now. This horse has run two hard races and now you're asking him to go a mile and a half on a possibly tiring course. Hopefully, he's up to the challenge.”

Cordes is thrilled to see the outpouring of affection for Mighty Heart, which continues to swell ahead of the Breeders' Stakes.

“In this time of COVID, this is a boost to people,” he said. “The phone calls I get from the west coast to east coast of Canada, my girlfriend and I have had multiple dozens of calls… people are just so excited. I feel the same thing, it just puts the excitement into me, so for all of the racing fans and all of his fans, let's make it happen. Just cheer him on, we need everything we can get.”

Mighty Heart will once again have Daisuke Fukumoto in the irons.

The young Japanese-born rider is still wrapping his head around the significance of what it would mean to come out on top in the Breeders' Stakes.

“It would be very special,” said Fukumoto. “To win the Queen's Plate is already special, but the Triple Crown is the highest. You never think of winning the Triple Crown.”

The pair will square off against some familiar foes on Saturday.

Trained by Kevin Attard, Clayton (6-1), who won the Plate Trial in mid-August, was third in the Queen's Plate and runner-up in the Prince of Wales. Owned by Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe, the son of Bodemeister finished second, 2 ½ lengths behind Mighty Heart in the middle jewel at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt track on September 29.

Belichick, who finished a strong second in the Queen's Plate, and is the 7-2 second choice in the morning line, will look to turn the tables on his stablemate.

The son of Lemon Drop Kid, also coached by Carroll, has a pair of seconds and a third in three lifetime starts.

Owned by NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods, Belichick should appreciate the move to turf and the mile-and-a-half distance.

“This is a really talented horse,” said Carroll, who won the 2014 Breeders' Stakes with Ami's Holiday. “I think from the moment he came in my barn, he showed a great deal of ability. If anything has surprised me, it's that it has taken this long for him to really blossom. I'm not surprised to have him in this position. It's also very rewarding to train a horse of his caliber.”

Other Breeders' Stakes hopefuls include Conrad Farms' Muskoka Giant (20-1), who broke his maiden over one mile of turf two starts prior to his fifth-place finish in the Prince of Wales for trainer Mark Casse.

A two-time (2014 with Lexie Lou and in 2018 with Wonder Gadot) Queen's Plate winner, Casse, who won the 2007 Breeders' with Marchfield and the 2018 renewal with Neepawa, will also send out Deviant (30-1).

A chestnut son of Daredevil, Deviant won last year's El Joven Stakes and Sunday Silence Stakes. The Red Lane Thoroughbreds' gelding will be making his second straight start at Woodbine, after finishing seventh in the Queenston Stakes this July.

Unraced as a two-year-old, English Conqueror (12-1), a chestnut son of English Channel, will make his Triple Crown debut in the Breeders'.

Bred and owned by JWS Farms, the Darwin Banach trainee finished third in his career bow on July 5 at Woodbine, a seven-furlong maiden special weight turf engagement. After a disappointing 10th-place finish next time out, English Conqueror rebounded with a fourth in 1 1/16 mile race run on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, an effort that saw him display plenty of vigor in the late going.

He arrives at the Breeders' off a maiden-breaking score on September 19, a head victory that was earned over 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine Inner Turf.

“He's doing really well,” said Banach. “He's like an immature little boy, in that it took him a little while to learn what was going on, and he's still learning. You have to ask him to do what you want him to do. He doesn't just go ahead and do it. I thought Emma [jockey, Wilson] would suit this horse fantastically after he finished fourth, and it did. I was quite concerned in that race because they went so slow early, but he does have a great turn of foot and he was able to kick on from there, get the lead and then get the win. I was very happy with that effort.”

Banach believes the lightly-raced Ontario-bred will be even better on Saturday.

“We always thought he was a good horse. We even considered the Queen's Plate and other races, but he couldn't quite get his game together before that time. So, here we are. We think he can handle a mile and a half and we've got to give it a shot.”

A victory would be even more special considering the sire of English Conqueror's dam, champion Sky Conqueror, was bred and owned by William Sorokolit, Sr., who recently passed away.

Banach trained the multiple graded stakes winning son of Sky Classic for Sorokolit. Sky Conqueror's victories included consecutive (2006-07) editions of the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G2T) and the 2007 running of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1T). Multiple graded stakes winner Classic Stamp was also another a horse of note for Sorokolit.

A successful businessman and entrepreneur, Sorokolit won 212 career races along with over $10.1 million (U.S.) in purse earnings.

“Emma rode Sky Conqueror, so maybe this is meant to be,” said Banach. “We loved training for Mr. Sorokolit and he'll be dearly missed. I believe he started owning horses in university, so for 70-some years he owned horses.”

Enchant Me (50-1), Glorious Tribute (30-1), and Olliemyboy (12-1) will also go postward after making an appearance in the opening legs of the Triple Crown.

Told It All (12-1), Meyer (30-1) and Kunal (50-1) complete the field.

In 2018, the Casse-trained filly Wonder Gadot won the first two Triple Crown races but did not compete in the Breeders' Stakes. Casse sent out Neepawa to victory in the final leg that year.

The last Triple Crown contender prior to Wonder Gadot was the great Wando, just the seventh horse to complete the series sweep since it was established in 1959 when he won the 2003 Breeders' Stakes with jockey Patrick Husbands aboard for trainer Michael Keogh and the late owner/breeder Gustav Schickedanz.

Since then, A Bit O'Gold (2004), Pender Harbour (2011) and Tone Broke (2019) also claimed two-thirds of the Triple Crown by taking the last two legs.

The longest shot to win the Breeders' was Miami Deco in 2010. The Ontario-bred son of Limehouse returned $132.10 for a $2 win bet. Catherine Day Phillips became the first female trainer to win the race courtesy of A Bit O'Gold in 2004. One year later, she was in the winner's circle again, this time with Jambalaya. Roger Attfield holds the record for most wins by a trainer with nine. His first came with Carotene in 1986. Jockey Rafael Hernandez has won three of the past four runnings.

“This is a great time for racing in Ontario,” said Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson. “It's fun. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to promote the sport of horse racing. We're thrilled that there is this opportunity.”

Post time is set for 1:10 p.m. ET, with the Breeders' Stakes scheduled as the ninth race (approximately 5:39 p.m. ET). The historic event will be broadcast live from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on TSN. Coverage is led by Canadian broadcasting legend Brian Williams, alongside TSN's Laura Diakun and Woodbine Entertainment's Jason Portuondo, with Brodie Lawson contributing reports from track level.

FIELD FOR THE BREEDERS' STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer – Owner – Morning Line

1 – Meyer – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler – Bruno Schickedanz – 30-1

2 – Enchant Me – Steven Bahen – Santino Di Paola – York Tech Racing Stable – 50-1

3 – Clayton – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard – Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe – 6-1

4 – Olliemyboy – Patrick Husbands – Sid Attard – JMJ Racing Stables LLC – 12-1

5 – English Conqueror – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Darwin Banach – JWS Farms – 12-1*

6 – Glorious Tribute – David Moran – Barbara Minshall – Bruce Lunsford – 30-1

7 – Deviant – Jerome Lermyte – Mark Casse – Red Lane Thoroughbreds LLC – 30-1

8 – Mighty Heart – Daisuke Fukumoto – Josie Carroll – Lawrence Cordes – 1-1

9 – Belichick – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll – NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods – 7-2

10 – Kunal – Emile Ramsammy – Steven Chircop – Bruno Schickedanz – 50-1

11 – Told It All – Kazushi Kimura – Norm McKnight – Rainbow Stables – 12-1*

12 – Muskoka Giant – Justin Stein – Mark Casse – Conrad Farms – 20-1

The post Canadian Triple Crown Hopeful Mighty Heart Is ‘Up To The Challenge’ In Saturday’s Breeders’ Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mighty Heart remains on target to make an historic attempt at sweeping Canada's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing following a pair of spectacular performances in the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes last month in rein to Daisuke Fukumoto for Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll and owner/breeder Lawrence Cordes.

“It would be a great thing to accomplish, I'd certainly be thrilled,” said Carroll. “It's very seldom you get a horse that is genuinely capable of winning these races on all three surfaces and that makes it very exciting.”

The connections of 11 other sophomore stars have made the October 7 sustaining payment to remain eligible to the Breeders' Stakes, which will be contested over 1 ½ miles on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The one-eyed Dramedy colt opened his Triple Crown bid on Sept. 12 with a 7 ½-length triumph over 1 ¼ miles on Woodbine's Tapeta surface.

The nominations list includes Queen's Plate runner-up Belichick, a lightly raced maiden, also trained by Carroll and owned by NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods. The Lemon Drop Kid colt, who launched his career on turf in July with a rallying third-place effort over seven furlongs, has finished no worse than third in his first three career starts.

Mighty Heart and Belichick are both scheduled to work on Saturday at Woodbine in preparation for the Breeders' Stakes.

“Tomorrow will be Mighty Heart's first breeze since he ran in the Prince of Wales, so as long as everything goes well, we're pointing in that direction,” confirmed Carroll.

Mighty Heart could face another familiar foe in the Breeders' Stakes as Clayton looks to complete the tri-surface series. After winning the Plate Trial in mid-August, the Kevin Attard trainee hit the board in both the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales. Owned by Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe, the son of Bodemeister finished 2 ½ lengths behind Mighty Heart in the middle jewel at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt track on September 29.

Other Breeders' Stakes hopefuls include Conrad Farms' Muskoka Giant, who broke his maiden over one mile of turf two starts prior to his fifth-place finish in the Prince of Wales for trainer Mark Casse, and Al and Bill Ulwelling's multiple stakes placed filly Merveilleux, another Attard trainee who was a game third in the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser prior to finishing sixth in the Queen's Plate.

Enchant Me, Glorious Tribute and Olliemyboy are also nominated after making an appearance in the opening legs of the Triple Crown.

Deviant, Kunal, Meyer and Pleasecallmeback complete the list of Breeders' Stakes eligibles with notable turf experience. Roger Attfield, who co-owns and conditions Pleasecallmeback, has trained three of the past seven Triple Crown winners (With Approval in 1989, Izvestia in 1990, Peteski in 1993).

In 2018, the Casse-trained filly Wonder Gadot won the first two Triple Crown races but did not compete in the Breeders' Stakes. Casse sent out Neepawa to victory in the final leg that year.

The last Triple Crown contender prior to Wonder Gadot was Wando, who was crowned just the seventh horse to complete the series sweep when he won the 2003 Breeders' Stakes with jockey Patrick Husbands aboard for trainer Michael Keogh and the late owner/breeder Gustav Schickedanz.

Since then, A Bit O'Gold (2004), Pender Harbour (2011) and Tone Broke (2019) also claimed two-thirds of the Triple Crown by taking the last two legs.

An additional $5,000 payment or supplementary fee of $12,500 is due upon entry. The entry box closes and post positions will be drawn to finalize the field for the 2020 edition of the Breeders' Stakes on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

BREEDERS' STAKES NOMINATIONS

Horse – Trainer – Owner

• Belichick – Josie Carroll – NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods
• Clayton – Kevin Attard – Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe
• Deviant – Mark Casse – Red Lane Thoroughbreds LLC
• Enchant Me – Santino Di Paola – York Tech Racing Stable
• Glorious Tribute – Barbara Minshall – Bruce Lunsford
• Kunal – Steven Chircop – Vincente Stella Stables LLC
• Merveilleux – Kevin Attard – Al and Bill Ulwelling
• Meyer – Martin Drexler – Bruno Schickedanz
• Mighty Heart – Josie Carroll – Lawrence Cordes
• Muskoka Giant – Mark Casse – Conrad Farms
• Olliemyboy – Sid Attard – JMJ Racing Stables LLC
• Pleasecallmeback – Roger Attfield – Roger Attfield and Dan Gale

The post One-Eyed Mighty Heart To Bid For Canadian Triple Crown In Oct. 24 Breeders’ Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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After a dominating 7 ½-length triumph in the Queen's Plate, Mighty Heart, bred and owned by Lawrence Cordes, and trained by Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll, will look to continue his winning ways in the $400,000 Prince of Wales, second jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. On Friday, he was installed as the 7-5 morning line favorite.

Daisuke Fukumoto, who rode the one-eyed Ontario-bred to his stirring Plate score, is back in the irons for Tuesday's engagement for Canadian-bred three-year-olds, set for 1 3/16 miles on the Fort Erie dirt surface. Carroll, who won the 2006 Plate with Edenwold and the 2011 edition with the filly Inglorious, won the 2016 running of the Prince of Wales with Amis Gizmo.

Mighty Heart, who will leave from post two, faces Plate rivals Clayton (third in the Plate), Dotted Line (seventh), Tecumseh's War (fourth), and Truebelieve (ninth), as well as Bold Victory, Enchant Me, Muskoka Giant, and Red Victory.

Some of the sport's top experts have delivered their picks (see below) that comprise the Prince of Wales Power Rankings presented by the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. The Power Rankings spotlight top contenders as voted on by expert horseplayers and racing commentators from Woodbine Racetrack and Fort Erie Race Track, including Jeff Bratt, Robert Geller, Ashley Mailloux, Doug McPherson, Jason Portuondo and Monique Vag. The rankings are based on votes following a 5-4-3-2-1 points system for the top five selections.

Should Mighty Heart, whose Plate time of 2:01.98 was the second fastest Plate run since 1957, emerge victorious in the Prince of Wales, it could set up a possible date in the starting gate for the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes, third and final jewel in the Triple Crown Series, set for 1 ½ miles on the world renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course, October 24 at Woodbine.

The last horse to sweep all three races was Wando in 2003. Bred and owned by the late Gus Schickedanz, and trained by Mike Keogh, the son of Langfuhr garnered front-page coverage in the lead-up and aftermath of his Triple Crown quest.

First race post time on September 29 is 2:10 p.m., with the Prince of Wales scheduled for approximately 5:37 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Fort Erie Race Track will be closed to spectators. Fans can watch online or tune in to the Canadian Triple Crown broadcast, sponsored by OLG, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on TSN.

FIELD FOR THE PRINCE OF WALES

Post – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Morning Line Odds

1 – Truebelieve – Cole Bennett – Keveh Nicholls – 30-1

2 – Mighty Heart – Josie Carroll – Daisuke Fukumoto – 7-5

3 – Dotted Line – Sid Attard – Justin Stein – 8-1

4 – Red Mercury – Paul Lepiane – Simon Husbands – 30-1

5 – Enchant Me – Santino Di Paola – Luis Contreras – 20-1

6 – Bold Victory – Mark Casse – Patrick Husbands – 12-1

7 – Tecumseh's War – Catherine Day Phillips – Emma-Jayne Wilson – 4-1

8 – Muskoka Giant – Mark Casse – Kazushi Kimura – 12-1

9 – Clayton – Kevin Attard – Rafael Hernandez – 5-2

PRINCE OF WALES POWER RANKINGS PRESENTED BY THE OLG CANADIAN TRIPLE CROWN

Horse – Trainer – Points – First-Place Votes

1 Mighty Heart – Josie Carroll – 27 – 4

2 Clayton – Kevin Attard – 23 – 1

3 Tecumseh's War – Catherine Day Phillips – 18 – 1

4 Dotted Line – Sid Attard – 14 – 0

5 Muskoka Giant – Mark Casse – 4 – 0

The post Queen’s Plate Winner Mighty Heart Will Take On Eight Rivals In Tuesday’s Prince Of Wales appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Five of the top Queen's Plate competitors will be taking another run for a triple crown jewel, including the first-place finisher, Mighty Heart. The one-eyed wonder trained by Josie Carroll for Lawrence Cordes, will once again have Daisuke Fukumoto looking to steer the race favorite first across the finish line and continue his quest to be the first Canadian Triple Crown winner since Wando in 2003.

“He came out of the Queen's Plate in extremely good order and breezed very well on Thursday,” said Carroll. “We thought he deserved a chance for a run at the Canadian Triple Crown.”

Trainer Kevin Attard is looking for better results with Clayton after a third place finish in the Plate, a neck ahead of Tecumseh's War, who will also be trying for a Prince of Wales victory for trainer Catherine Day Phillips.

Truebelieve, owned by Niagara's Centennial Farms shipped in to Fort Erie's backstretch and was out on the track for morning training on Friday.

“He came out of the gate a little bit stronger than I wanted him to, and didn't really settle, but he ran a good race and we wanted to give him another try with the Prince of Wales,” said trainer Cole Bennett about Truebelieve's performance in the Plate. “Now that he's had a race into him he's a little bit fitter and a little bit tighter. We've taken the blinkers off, which will hopefully help him to relax a bit. He likes the dirt and trained really well over Fort Erie's track, so we think the surface will suit him.”

Dotted Line will be taking another swing at a triple crown race after finishing 7th in the Plate. Trainer Mark Casse has entered Bold Victory and Muskoka Giant into the competition, and trainer Santino DiPaola will be running Enchant Me.

Many Fort Erie locals will be cheering for supplemental entry Red Mercury, who is stabled in Fort Erie's backstretch. Trained by Paul Lepaine, for MPB Stables, he will be the race longshot at 30-1.

The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes is the 2nd jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, for three-year-olds foaled in Canada, running 1 3/16 miles on Fort Erie's dirt surface.  First race post time on September 29 is 2:10 p.m., with the Prince of Wales race scheduled for approximately 5:37 p.m. Due to COVID-19, Fort Erie Race Track will be closed to spectators. Fans can tune in to the Canadian Triple Crown broadcast on TSN sponsored by OLG, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on TSN channels 1,3, 4, and 5.

Tuesday's card will include a mandatory payout of the Jackpot High-5 pool in our final race, with a carryover amount of $178,381.93.

For more information, visit www.FortErieRacing.com

Prince of Wales Stakes

The post Queen’s Plate Winner Mighty Heart In ‘Extremely Good Order,’ To Start In Prince Of Wales appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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As she walked the sturdy one-eyed colt over to the Woodbine paddock for the biggest race of his life, Siobhan Brown, almost every step of the way, patted the bay known as “Willy” and whispered words of encouragement.

“Everyone thinks I'm crazy,” started the groom who has worked in the barn of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll for the past three years. “I pep talk my horses all the way through their races – from the time they leave their stall to the moment they break from the gate.”

The walk from Barn 39 to the paddock on September 12 was different than any other trek Brown had taken in her horse racing life.

But nothing, not a one-eyed horse, not a $1 million purse, not contesting the iconic Queen's Plate, and certainly not the odds suggesting a victory was a longshot, was going to alter the pre-race game plan Brown always employs.

“Renee [Dockstader] helped me bring Mighty Heart over. She had prepared [Mighty Heart owner] Larry Cordes' two other horses, so it was really special for me to have her come over. We've bonded through his horses, so to have both of his grooms bringing his Plate horse over was amazing. When we were walking through the tunnel – we were going so slowly – Renee kept saying, 'We've got to hurry up!' And I said, 'No… this is his speed and we're not going to run the race before we get there.'”

As the trio continued their journey to the paddock, Brown readied the 3-year-old Ontario-bred, making his stakes debut, for what was waiting.

“I said, 'Willy, there are going to be a lot of cameras. There is going to be a lot of excitement. I know you're ready to go, but you need to listen to your jockey. You're going to go in the gate, you're going to get a clean break, and you're going to listen to Daisuke [rider, Fukumoto]. You're going to find a good spot early and when you come home, you just go, buddy.'”

The Nova Scotia native didn't know just how prophetic her words would be.

But there were still other matters at hand before track announcer Robert Geller would send the 14 horses on their way.

Brown was ready for all of it.

“We were in the paddock and Mighty Heart gets a little stressed out when he hears the voices of people that he knows. He got excited and we calmed him down. Everyone in our group had gone outside to the walking ring, and we were walking him around the paddock, telling him it wasn't time for him to go outside yet. Every time we'd go by and he'd see outside, he thought it was time to go.”

Carroll, who won the 2006 Plate with Edenwold and the 2001 running with the filly Inglorious, legged-up Fukumoto as Brown made her way to the grandstand to the spot she always stands in whenever a horse of hers runs.

“Go get 'em, Willy,” she said as he disappeared from her sight.

The next time she saw Mighty Heart was moments later in the post parade.

His body language spoke volumes to Brown. She liked what she was seeing.

“He looked amped up. He looked fantastic. I walked back over to my usual spot by the stairs, well back from the fence, and just past the finish line. I was nervous. It seemed like forever in the minutes before they went into the gate.”

Brown exhaled as the 14 horses began their journey over the Woodbine Tapeta.

When the field passed the wire for the first time, Fukumoto, in his first Queen's Plate, had guided 13-1 Mighty Heart from post 13 to the rail and to the front.

Looking at the tote board and seeing the brisk early fractions, a quarter-mile in :23.57 and a half in :47.61, Brown became concerned.

At least she was for a moment.

“I thought, 'What are you doing in the lead, buddy? It's a long race.' When the cameras zoomed in on him in the backstretch, I could see Daisuke wasn't pulling to hold him back, but he wasn't pushing him either. I thought they looked good. They looked relaxed.”

But there was still plenty of ground to travel.

Around the turn for home, Mighty Heart's rivals came calling to his inside and outside.

“They were starting to catch up and I thought, 'Oh, no.' Too many times, your horse is in the lead and they end up getting caught.”

Despite not being able to see all of them, Mighty Heart heard them, and braced for the challenge of his much more seasoned foes, ready to test his mettle against more highly regarded contemporaries.

For the woman who had requested to be his groom this year, it was a mix of nerves, excitement and crossed fingers as the real running began.

As the son of Dramedy shifted into another gear after leading nearly every step of the way in the 1 1/4-mile Canadian classic, Brown, tears streaming down her cheeks, put her arms out and shouted, 'Run to me, Willy.'

And that's just what he did.

Mighty Heart winning the Queen's Plate under Daisuke Fukumoto

Mighty Heart crossed the wire a 7 3/4-length winner in a time of 2:01.98, the second fastest Plate run since 1957.

“I just lost it. I just cried and cried. I was so excited. There is a video of me and I sound like a wounded seagull at a fast-food restaurant. I've never hit an octave so high in my life. I must have yelled “Willy” a hundred times. I couldn't get anything else out. My knees buckled and down I went. I got back up. I never thought I'd ever have a horse in the Queen's Plate let alone win it.”

When Brown was finally reunited with Mighty Heart in the winner's circle, she reached up, gave him a hug and said, “I knew you could do it, Willy.”

In the aftermath of the Plate triumph, it wasn't non-stop elation for the horse's connections, Brown included.

There was still work to be done.

“It's still kind of surreal. After the race, it was amazing. People were coming to the barn and taking pictures. Then it hits you … we did it. I thought to myself, 'Siobhan, you are so stupid.' I had changed out of my nice Plate clothes for a baggy t-shirt, so I could get my work done. I had him run in the Plate and then we had two horses run in the race after. You wanted to celebrate, but we had business to do.”

Just like Brown did the next morning.

“I got about two hours sleep Saturday night because I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep. I got up at 2:30 on Sunday morning and went to the barn for another race we had that day. I had to put the day before on the back burner and focus on getting the job done again.”

Thankfully, she's had plenty of reminders of the big moment in the following days.

While the tears have stopped, Brown, even if she's not always aware of it, is still sporting a wide smile.

“I come back down to earth, trying to treat it like any other race, then someone mentions it, and I start glowing all over again. Probably one of my favorite moments was when Josie was giving Daisuke the leg-up for the race, and the horse moved right into him. I had to hold the horse steady, and I thought, 'Are you trying to be like the horse [Authentic] from the Kentucky Derby and knock everybody over?' I'm glad he didn't.”

Mighty Heart was simply content to bowl over his Plate competition.

The signature victory has thrust the horse into the spotlight, at Woodbine and beyond.

Brown, who began working as a groom in 2016, was recently interviewed by CBC News Nova Scotia, an opportunity for her to share recollections of a horse racing fairytale come true.

But there's much more to the story than just a one-eyed horse winning the longest continually run race in North America.

“My aunt, Helen, had passed away, and that's why I moved out here to Toronto. People will always tell me that she's watching over me. Leading up to the race, I was having all of these weird signs. I'm not one to believe in that, but a little part of me does. I was filling the horses' water buckets and I thought I saw a piece of hay floating in one of the buckets. I went to scoop it up and throw it away, but it stuck to my finger. I let out a scream when I realized it was a praying mantis. I grabbed a towel and picked it up.

“I went home and did a Google search – I had put him on the grass – and some people say it's a sign of good luck because the mantis is praying. I said, 'I'll take it.' It was only the second time I had seen one in my life. The day of the race, I had gone outside to talk to two other grooms, and one of them told me to hold still. There was an eyelash on my face and she told me I had to make a wish. They told me they knew what it was, but not to say it out loud. So, I said it in my head. And the wish came true.”

The number of people on the Woodbine backstretch coming to Barn 39 has wound down over the past couple of days.

Whether he's alone or with others at his side, Brown believes Mighty Heart might have some measure of what he accomplished.

“I think so. He's so funny. He has so much personality. When people walk by and call to him, you can tell how much he likes it. He's easy to love. I'm so glad I asked Josie that I could be his groom. His other groom didn't come back this year, so I was able to take him. I love his personality … there's just something about him, and I think everyone that's come to congratulate him also sees that.”

Brown is hoping people unfamiliar with horse racing might see it too.

“This is a story that shines a positive light on our industry, the sport that so many of us love. From the outside looking in, there is some negativity associated with it. But, we love our horses. We love when they win, but it's about so much more than that. This horse, he is a perfect example of what makes racing wonderful. He beat the odds in so many ways and he's found a new following. People love those underdog stories and he is one of them. He's a horse that people enjoying talking about.”

Mighty Heart is also a horse that seems to appreciate a good pep talk, even if he doesn't hear every word.

“He couldn't hear me when he was getting close to the finish in the Plate, but I told him, 'Run to me, Willy.' And I like to think that's exactly what he did.”

The post The Pep-Talking Groom, Willy, and a Queen’s Plate Crown appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Owner Lawrence Cordes couldn't have imagined that his homebred colt would live up to his namesake so perfectly, but the result has been better than any storybook ending crafted in Hollywood.

“You're just not going to believe what I'm about to tell you, but it's all completely true,” Cordes said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “I couldn't make this up if I'd tried.”

The original Mighty Heart weighs in at just 1.76 pounds, significantly less than his equine counterpart; he is a Sphynx cat, and he never should have survived.

The story begins with Cordes' long-time girlfriend, Kimberly Rutschmann, a registered nurse who also breeds Sphynx cats as companion animals. Cordes insists he isn't a “cat person,” but his first Sphynx, named Floyd, convinced the longtime horse and dog lover to reconsider.

Mighty Heart, the cat, belongs to Rutschmann. Seven years ago, he was born the runt in a very large seven-cat litter. His mother quickly rejected the mouse-sized kitten; he weighed less than an ounce when Rutschmann began working to save his life.

For three months she fed the tiny kitten every two hours, around the clock, with an eyedropper. Mighty Heart improved and grew to weigh eight ounces, and Rutschmann began feeding him a special mush with a spoon for two more months until he doubled in size.

Mighty Heart the Sphynx cat (photo courtesy of Angela Perrin)

By now it was late November, and somehow, the door to the cat area blew open while Rustchmann and Cordes were both at work. Cordes came home first and found little Mighty Heart cold and not breathing.

“I took him in my hands and started rubbing him to warm him up, and I called Kimberly,” Cordes remembered. “She ran home, took him and massaged him, then gave him mouth-to-mouth until he started breathing again.”

A month later, the little kitten stopped breathing again in the middle of the night. Rutschmann was able to bring him back once more.

Mighty Heart was small and a bit frail, but very determined to be a “normal” cat. Tragedy struck again when he turned four, however; he suffered a stroke that left him mostly paralyzed for months.

With what must be an infinite capacity for caring and patience, Rutshmann began her regimen of feeding little Mighty Heart three times a day and taking him to the litter box every couple of hours.

“He's using up his nine lives, for sure,” Cordes said. “The vets said if he was going to recover, it would take about three months to see any improvement. At 3 ½ months, he sat up on his own, and Kimberly let out this yell of pure joy that I'll never be able to forget.”

After another year, Mighty Heart was able to walk around with just a slight limp. Another problem arose more recently when his stomach began to expand abnormally. Initially thought to be a tumor, Mighty Heart's issue turned out to be an abscess, which was easily treated by antibiotics.

“Somebody should write a book or make a movie about Kimberly and this cat,” Cordes said. “If you just sat in a chair and watched what goes on between those two, he thinks she's his mother. He didn't know his mother, and she did everything for him. You should see how he's become attached to her, and he's like a baby, he sleeps in her arms… She loves this cat, she says, 'Larry, I don't know what I'd do if we lost him.' It's just like a baby.”

Cordes had just gotten back into breeding racehorses after a 15-year hiatus in 2014, starting with a one-horse broodmare band in Emma's Bullseye. When she gave birth to her third foal in 2017, the colt faced long odds of making it on the racetrack when he lost his left eye in a paddock accident at just two weeks of age.

“So then when I'm looking for a name for this horse, I kept thinking about that cat,” Cordes said. “Here's Mighty Heart, this cat with incredible will to live, living with all these problems for a full life of seven years, and here's this horse with a major handicap as well to deal with. I said, 'You know what? I'm gonna honor that cat by giving his name to this racehorse.'”

Mighty Heart, the horse, never seemed to notice he was any different than the other racehorses. The farm that started him under saddle in Lexington, Ky., had nothing but positive reports during his early training.

“They said to me, 'This horse is something else. One eye or not, he's gonna be a nice horse. He's a very determined horse and he wants to please,'” Cordes remembered. “Well, they were right.”

Mighty Heart didn't race as a 2-year-old, and when he made his first start at 3 this February at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., trainer Josie Carroll told Cordes she wasn't quite sure what to make of his strange behavior.

“On the first turn he threw his head up and went almost to the outside rail, losing about 12 lengths,” said Cordes. “On the next turn he did the same thing. The jockey brought him back in, and in the stretch he was 20 lengths behind when they were half way down the stretch, and he made up 14 lengths in not even half the stretch. We were like, 'Whoa. Imagine if he hadn't lost those 24 lengths on the turns!'”

It took several months to find the issue, because it was well-hidden. Mighty Heart had impacted wolf teeth sitting below the line of his jawbone, right where the bit would lay in his mouth. As soon as those were removed, the colt broke his maiden with ease, besting a field of Queen's Plate-eligible entrants by 5 ½ lengths at Woodbine.

Cordes admits he and Carroll rushed Mighty Heart into his next start, an allowance race where he was collared late and finished third.

Then, Carroll came to Cordes with a unique proposal.

“She said, 'Let me train this horse up to the Plate,'” Cordes said, laughing. “She said, 'Just leave it to me, six weeks, I'll train this horse up to the Queen's Plate. Larry, if you let me do it, you will not be dissatisfied. Let's unveil him at the Queen's Plate.' Well, I just about had a crap in my pants; she had the favorite in the Queen's Plate with Curlin's Voyage, and here she is touting this horse!”

Mighty Heart responded with his giant victory, running the fastest Queen's Plate since 1957.

“The jockey (21-year-old Daisuke Fukumoto) told me, 'I could have had this horse run two seconds faster if we wanted,'” said Cordes. “When he started moving away from the crowd, he just took off like a jackrabbit. When turned for home was on the rail, a horse came up outside him, and the jock said he just cocked his head to the outside and switched into fifth gear and never wanted to stop. He actually ran a mile and a half race, then they had to send an outrider out to pull him up!”

Cordes desperately wanted to bring the feline Mighty Heart with him to Woodbine for the race, but the COVID-19 restrictions meant the cat had to stay home. The pair have met before, however, and will likely do so again before the horse's racing career is over.

Up next, Cordes said he doesn't want to rush the colt back in 17 days to make the Prince of Wales's Stakes, the Canadian Triple Crown's middle jewel, so the third leg, a 1 1/2-mile turf contest in the Breeders' Stakes, will likely be Mighty Heart's next outing.

“I said to the Woodbine CEO that I know pressure's on for me to run him because it's for Canada, but I have to think about the horse's well-being,” said Cordes. “Horse injuries occur from fatigue, not so often from just a misstep, but the misstep that is caused by fatigue. I don't want to do that to him.”

Before Mighty Heart, there was one more horse Cordes named in honor of a Sphynx cat: Floyd, the one that made him fall in love with the breed.

“Floyd (the cat) was my best friend,” Cordes said, his voice wavering with emotion. “It's in my will and all my kids know, his urn will be with me in my coffin when it's my time.”

One-eyed Mighty Heart wins the Queen's Plate by 7 1/2 lengths under Daisuke Fukumoto

The Thoroughbred “In Memory of Floyd”, Mighty Heart's year-younger half-brother, had a touch of second-itis through his first several races, losing by a nose, a nose, a neck, and a head, before finally breaking his maiden in late 2019. The gelding needed a chip removed but developed arthritis after the surgery, so Cordes retired him to be his personal riding horse.

“It's special to have that connection with the horse, after how much Floyd meant to me,” Cordes said. “This horse, a month after he'd been off the track, you could put a child on him. He's so gentle and kind.”

Floyd the horse, and both the equine and feline Mighty Hearts, will have forever homes with Cordes and Rutschmann. The story of the cat who survived and the horse who overcame the odds at this year's Queen's Plate will be something the pair will cherish for the rest of their lives.

“Winning the Queen's Plate, it's something I wish everybody could experience, especially with a horse like him,” Cordes summarized. “It was just an incredible, exciting thing.

“You know, I've been in racing 40 years. I haven't bred a lot, but I really enjoyed the excitement that people were having leading up to the Queen's Plate. You could just hear in their voice the excitement they had about seeing him, and we've had hundreds of phone calls since the race. It was really something.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Two Mighty Hearts Beat As One In Queen’s Plate appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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.

The post Josie Carroll Wins Third Queen’s Plate As Mighty Heart Romps In 161st Running Of Canadian Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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