Canadian Update: Mighty Heart Makes 2023 Debut at Tampa Bay

Two-time Canadian Horse of the Year MIGHTY HEART, owned and bred by Larry Cordes, is entered in an allowance/optional claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs on Friday, January 6, 2023. Now 6 years old, the Queen’s Plate, Prince of Wales and graded stakes winner has post 6 in a 7-horse field that will travel 1 mile and 40 yards on the dirt.

Mighty Heart is now trained by Patrick Country, Jr. who sent the horse out for a bullet 5 furlong workout at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 31 in 1:01 breezing. Mighty Heart was at Classic Mile in Ocala for earlier workouts. The son of Dramedy is seeking his first victory since he won the Grade 2 Autumn Handicap with trainer Josie Carroll at Woodbine in November 2021, the year was voted Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year for the second consecutive year.

In 2022, Mighty Heart was third in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes and Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes in the summer before landing on the edges in the Niagara Stakes and Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, both on grass. His season ended with an eighth-place finish in the Autumn Stakes on Nov. 6.

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Daniel Centeno will ride Mighty Heart on Friday. The race is the 8th with a post time of 4:04 p.m.

The field includes Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner HELIUM, trained by Mark Casse. Helium has not won since that win at Tampa Bay and he is offered for the $100,000 claiming price.

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Woodbine stakes winner CAIRO CONSORT, who was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies turf at Keeneland for owner William Thompson and Woodbine trainer Nathan Squires, makes her first start for trainer Todd Pletcher on Saturday. The grey filly is entered in the Ginger Brew Stakes on the grass at Gulfstream Park for Repole Racing Stable and Town & Country Farm which purchased her for $875,000 from the November sale at Fasig-Tipton from Thompson.

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Mike and Gina Wright are back at their favourite track, Tampa Bay Downs. They had their first winner when H C HOLIDAY (Ami’s Holiday – Henry’s Collection) won a $25,000 claiming race on the grass on Dec. 31. Wright, who wins a handful of races at the Oldsmar, Florida track each winter, has started five horses at the current meeting.

Wright won his 800th career race this past summer at Woodbine with Nantucket Red.

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Some Canadian-based riders are riding at US tracks. LUIS CONTRERAS won two races at Santa Anita on Dec. 30. Woodbine’s leading rider KAZUSHI KIMURA is also riding at that tough circuit and has a few placings after a trio of race dates.

SAHIN CIVACI, who was the hottest rider anywhere when he won a pile of races late in the Woodbine 2022 season, is named on a number of horses at SAM HOUSTON RACETRACK in Houston, Texas beginning on Friday, January 6.

EMMA-JAYNE WILSON has had three mounts at Gulfstream Park and has four mounts coming up this week.