Mighty Heart, the 2020 Queen’s Plate Stakes winner in Canada who has competed against graded-stakes company almost exclusively the last two years, showed he hasn’t lost much – if anything – in winning the eighth race at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 7, an allowance/optional claiming event, in his 6-year-old debut.
The Ontario-bred, a career millionaire and 2-time Canadian Horse of the Year, held off a determined late rally by Bumperdoo to post a half-length victory in a time of 1:40.21 for the mile-and-40-yard distance, an 85 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form. Helium, the 2021 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner, finished a non-threatening third in the seven-horse field, another 7 ¾ lengths back.
Mighty Heart was ridden by Daniel Centeno, who had breezed the horse 5 furlongs on Dec. 31 in 1:01 over the Oldsmar oval strip. The victory was the first for Mighty Heart since winning the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine 14 months earlier. He paid $4.20 to win as the betting favorite.
Mighty Heart is owned by his breeder, Larry Cordes, and trained by Patrick County, Jr. His immense popularity north of the border stems not only from his speed and tenacity as a racehorse, but from competing despite the loss of his left eye due to a paddock accident when he was 2 weeks old.
“I’m very emotional because a lot of hard work goes into this every day,” said County, who credited his stepdaughter and assistant Jennifer Perrin for her role in preparing the horse. “This means a lot to everybody.”
Centeno said he liked Mighty Heart the day he worked him, and even more so now. After racing just off the pace through moderate early fractions, Mighty Heart began to roll at the ¼-mile pole and put too much distance between himself and the others to be caught.
“I didn’t want to take the lead too early, but he did it really easy and fought all the way to the wire,” Centeno said. “He felt (Bumperdoo) coming and fired a little bit again. He didn’t want to get beat today.”
Mighty Heart improved to 7-for-23. Helium, who has lost 10 consecutive times since the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby triumph (he does have three second and three thirds) flattened out late, and jockey Jose Ferrer said he appeared to have no excuses.
County said Mighty Heart’s next race would be at Tampa Bay Downs and could come on the turf.
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
