One year ago on July 1, Canada Day, fans were allowed back at Woodbine Racetrack for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a fitting day for the track to re-open fully, a celebration of our country and its release from the dark days of the previous 1 1/2 years.
It was also appropriate that the traditional July 1 featured race, the DOMINION DAY STAKES (G3), was back after a one-year hiatus. The Dominion Day was not run in 2020 due to the late start of the racing season. The 2021 season started late as well but the Dominion Day was brought back, albeit at 1 1/16 miles, shorter than its usual 1 1/4 mile distance.
And when Canada’s Horse of the Year, the very popular one-eyed colt MIGHTY HEART strolled to victory in last year’s Dominion Day, the sounds of the crowd cheering Larry Cordes’ colt down the stretch brought a sense of normalcy.
This year’s Dominion Day, the 69th running of the prestigious race, is on Friday, July 1 and now at 1 1/8 miles, and Mighty Heart, now with two Horse of the Year titles to his credit, is back.
Trained by Josie Carroll, whose barn has been on a hot streak, Mighty Heart will start from post five in a field of nine and he seeks his first win of the season in his third start of his 5-year-old campaign.
The son of Dramedy – Emma’s Bullseye by City Place will have to buckle down for this third start off the layoff if he is to defeat two guys who bested him in the Grade 3 Eclipse Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on May 29: Artie’s Storm and Frosted Over.
Mighty Heart’s 2022 campaign began at Keeneland when he tried the nine-furlong Ben Ali Stakes (G3) when he showed his customary speed but faded to sixth. Carroll admitted the horse wasn’t fully fit for the race, having had a couple of workouts gone amiss on a surface he did not care for.
In the Eclipse, Mighty Heart and Patrick Husbands again had the lead but he could not hold off the younger rivals and landed third.
On Friday, Justin Stein will be Mighty Heart’s fourth different rider in succession and the horse comes in with three strong workouts.
ARTIE’S STORM posted a 95 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form when he powered to victory in the Eclipse, his first race of the year for owner and trainer Paul Buttigieg. A gelding by the late We Miss Artie, Artie’s Storm had ended 2021 with two straight restricted stakes races, the Lake Ontario and Steady Growth, and is no doubt a horse on the rise.
FROSTED OVER, the Champion 3-year-old of 2021 in Canada, had a short lead in the Eclipse stretch run before being passed by Artie. The grey son of Frosted, trained by Mark Casse for Gary Barber, won the 1 1/8 mile Ontario Derby last year.
Casse has also entered graded stakes winner SKYWIRE, who recently came off a long layoff to win in an allowance/optional claiming race and the Irish-bred filly TALBEYAH, who scored a remarkable win in her North American debut on the Tapeta on May 21, overcoming a slow start to zoom to a three-length win in an allowance/optional claiming race.
Also in the Dominion Day field is PRIMO TOUCH, best known as a long distance grass horse, WAR BOMBER, a former Casse trainee and turf stakes winner, recent claim AVOMAN and graded stakes winner SPECIAL FORCES.
The Dominion Day is race 6 on the nine race holiday card.
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