Mighty Heart | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘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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Mighty Heart Holds Off Sir Winston To Win Autumn Stakes At Woodbine

Canada's one-eyed wonder and 2020 Horse of the Year Mighty Heart showed exactly why he has that name with a gate-to-wire victory in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine. The 2020 Queen's Plate winner held off a late run from 2019 Belmont Stakes victor Sir Winston to take the 1 1/16-mile stakes by a half-length.

Starting from the far outside of the field of eight, jockey Patrick Husbands hustled Mighty Heart to the lead, with Primo Touch and Embolden following in second and third. Around the first turn and down the backstretch, Mighty Heart was a length to the good, running easily on the lead putting in fractions of :23.86, :47.23, and 1:11.36.

Entering the far turn, the field started to make their move, but Mighty Heart was steadfast in the lead. Sir Winston, sixth early, ran into traffic on the turn, going to the outside in the stretch to find a clear running lane. Special Forces and Halo Again were also challenging Mighty Heart in the stretch, Sir Winston driving late, but the 2020 Horse of the Year held the race safe. He was a half-length in front of Sir Winston at the wire, with Special Forces third and Halo Again fourth.

The final time was 1:42.51.

Mighty Heart paid $9.20, $4.00, and $2.30. Sir Winston paid $2.60 and $2.10. Special Forces paid $2.20.

Bred in Ontario by his owner Larry Cordes, Mighty Heart is a 4-year-old colt by Dramedy out of the City Place mare Emma's Bullseye. He is trained by Josie Carroll. With his win in the G2 Autumn, Mighty Heart has three wins in seven starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of six wins in 15 starts.

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Mighty Heart, Sir Winston Among Field Of Eight For Sunday’s Autumn Stakes At Woodbine

Eight hopefuls, including multiple graded stakes winner Special Forces, reigning Canadian Horse of the Year Mighty Heart, and 2019 Belmont Stakes champ Sir Winston, are set to contest the Grade 2 $175,000 Autumn Stakes, Sunday at Woodbine.

A 6-year-old son of Candy Ride (ARG) trained by Kevin Attard, who co-owns with Soli Mehta, Special Forces will chase his second Autumn score, having won the 1 1/16-mile Tapeta event for three-year-olds and upward two years ago.

Sporting a record of 6-6-2 from 20 starts, the chestnut, bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and Carrie and Craig Brogden, has finished in the top three in 12 straight starts and heads into Sunday's race off a win in the Grade 3 Durham Cup on Oct. 10.

Sent off at 6-1, the gelding, under Justin Stein, rallied strongly down the lane to secure a half-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile race stopping the clock in 1:42.36. Sir Winston was second, Halo Again finished third and Mighty Heart was fourth. All four are set to square off in the Autumn.

Claimed by Attard for $40,000 just over three years ago, the Durham Cup was the first trip to the winner's circle for Special Forces since taking the 2019 Autumn.

“I think he's always been a good horse,” said Attard. “Up until he got injured he was running against the best older horses on the grounds at Woodbine and was competing right with them. Any time you have to stop a horse for an extended period of time you always wonder, 'Have they lost a step?' or consider what level they'll be able to come back at. I think he's obviously put that to rest after his last race.”

Attard, three wins shy of 570 for his career, continues to be impressed by his consistent and resilient performer.

“Before we ran him the first time this year, I knew he was good and back to himself. I was eagerly awaiting him getting back to the races. There aren't many times you come back and hook a Belmont winner (Sir Winston, on August 19). We ran a good second. I was happy with the race that my horse ran.”

Special Forces made his debut on May 25, 2017, at Churchill, finishing sixth. He broke his maiden in his seventh start on August 5, 2018 in a maiden optional claiming race at Woodbine.

“He just has a great turn of foot,” raved Attard. “He really closes hard down the lane. He's an exciting horse to watch and a horse we claimed which makes it even more special just to see the improvement in him. He likes to sit at the back of the pack and come with a big run. Those ones are always exciting to watch.”

Are You Kidding Me won consecutive (2015-16) editions of the Autumn. Starting in 1920, Kentucky Derby champion and U.S. Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Exterminator, won the race three straight years.

The Autumn goes as race eight. First post for the 11-race card is 12:55 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$175,000 AUTUMN STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Special Forces – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

2 – Vanzzy – Rafael Hernandez – Michael Pino

3 – Primo Touch (S) – Eswan Flores – Harold Ladouceur

4 – Sir Winston – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse

5 – Faraway Kitten – Luis Contreras – Denyse McClachrie

6 – Halo Again – Shaun Bridgmohan – Steve Asmussen

7 – Embolden – Mauricio Malvaez – Sandra Dominguez

8 – Mighty Heart – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll

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