It only took MIGHTY HEART and jockey PATRICK HUSBANDS one race to get in sync and when they did, the 2020 Horse of the Year and multiple champion Husbands took control. From post seven in the 1 1/16 mile Autumn Stakes (G2), Mighty Heart and Husbands zoomed to the lead and they were never passed. The Autumn, the last start for Larry Cordes’ homebred Mighty Heart at Woodbine this year, had a purse of $197,750.
Trained by Josie Carroll, Mighty Heart put an exclamation point on a super 4-year-old campaign that came with its share of some bad luck, some traveling and three stakes wins in two countries, three of them graded. That should put the colt in the driver’s seat for Champion Older Male for 2020 and another Horse of the Year title.
Mighty Heart and Husbands got together for the Durham Cup in October but they pair landed fourth in a flat effort where the colt lost a shoe.
In the Autumn, Husbands and Mighty Heart went straight to the lead, while longshots Embolden and Primo Touch dueled in behind the pacesetter through an opening quarter in :23.86.
Mighty Heart was one length clear after a half timed in :47.23, as Embolden held a head advantage over Primo Touch who was running in third, eight lengths ahead of his nearest rival.
Still running confidently, Mighty Heart, the 2020 Queen’s Plate champ, held a 1 ½-length lead at the stretch call as 8-5-choice Sir Winston, Durham Cup victor Special Forces, and multiple stakes winner Halo Again, all came calling.
But the one-eyed son of Dramedy was up to the task and easily fended off any challenges, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of 2019 Belmont Stakes champ Sir Winston. Special Forces was third and Halo Again finished fourth.
The final time was 1:42.51, good for a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
A rainy, cold day in Toronto didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those gathered in the winner’s circle who gave the four-year-old colt and his connections a rousing ovation throughout post-race celebrations.
“Actually, last time (Durham Cup) was the first time I rode this horse and Josie told me to play it by ear,” said Husbands, who notched a record fifth Autumn triumph. “I had a lot of horse throughout the whole race and then by the three-eighths pole, he just paused on me and I just couldn’t get him going again. Looking at this race today, from my heart, I’m putting this horse in the race. When I walked out of the paddock, Josie said, ‘Put this horse in the race.’ I said, ‘God bless.’ Today, I put him in the race and he showed he was a true champion.”
Carroll shared similar sentiments.
“This is an exciting horse,” said the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee. “They don’t come along very often, horses like this. He had his handicap to overcome and things like that never faze him. He’s just a good horse and he’s an exciting horse. He had a legit excuse last time when he a lost a shoe halfway around the turn and we really felt vindicated to see him come back today and do what we’ve been expecting him to do.”
Cordes was equally effusive in his praise of Mighty Heart, who has his own Instagram page and a fan base that spans the globe.
“The dream continues… once in a lifetime horse, without question,” said Cordes. “He has followers from six-year-old children to adults, sending him paraphernalia in the mail, not addressed to me. It’s to my home address, ‘Attention, Mighty Heart.’ It’s incredible what’s gone on.”
Mighty Heart paid $9.20 for the Autumn win.
It was the sixth lifetime win from 15 starts for the Ontario-bred champion, who could make a start at Gulfstream before the end of the year, that being the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes worth $150,000 on Dec. 18.
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Josie Carroll won two other races on the afternoon. She sent out the Ontario-bred 2-year-old colt DUKE OF LOVE, owned by the American racing syndicate MyRacehorse.com, to win his debut with a smart rally up the rail. The son of Cupid – Tell the Duchess by Smart Strike had Justin Stein on board. The colt was bred by Dave Whitford (farm manager at Sam-Son Farm), Tom Zwieseler (Sam-Son manager in Florida) Patrick Costello and Caldara Farm.
The colt was bought for $15,000 as a weanling at the 2019 Keeneland November sale by War Horse Place’s Dana Aschinger and re-sold as a yearling for $40,000 and as a 2-year-old for $85,000. Duke of Love’s dam Tell the Duchess is an unraced Sam-Son Farms-bred mare.
Carroll also won with LNJ Foxwoods’ MONEY PRINTER, a Tapit 3-year-old gelding who was dropping to $40,000 maiden claiming.
Another barn won three races on Sunday, that of Norm McKnight. McKnight won with TYCOON for 3 Sons Racing and Forest Survivor and War Bomber for Bruno Schickedanz.
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