Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year and a leading contender for the title in 2021 MIGHTY HEART totes 126 pounds in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park on December 18. The $150,000 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.
Mighty Heart, the 8-to-5 morning line favourite in the field of six, starts from post position one with John Velasquez riding the Josie Carroll-trained star for the first time.
Larry Cordes’ one-eyed wonder comes off his third stakes win, second graded, of the season when he won the Autumn Stakes (G2) at Woodbine on Nov. 14. The 4-year-old son of Dramedy also won the Dominion Day Stakes (G3) on July 1 and the Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs as well as placing in the West Virginia Governors’ Stakes (G3) and Seagram Cup (G3). Carroll has sent out Mighty Heart for three workouts at Palm Meadows.
“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.
Mighty Hearts’ main rival is Fearless who is coming off a second-place finish in the Nov. 21 Miami Gardens overnight handicap, in which he lost for the first time in four 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.
Saturday, Gulfstream #9, post time: 3:59 p.m. EST
HARLAN’S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $150,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m
PP Horse/Sire/Owner/Trainer/Jockey/WT
1 Mighty Heart, Dramedy Lawrence Cordes Carroll Velazquez 126
2 Blue Steel, Will Take Charge James C. Woodruff Hiles Lopez 121
3 Twenty Twice, Honor Code Calumet Farm Sisterson Leparoux 121
4 Eye of a Jedi, Eye of the Leopard Steve Budhoo Budhoo Castellano 123
5 South Bend, Algorithms Sagamore Farm LLC Mott Gaffalione 121
6 Fearless, Ghostzapper Repole Stable Pletcher Saez 123
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