The AUTUMN STAKES (Grade 2) at Woodbine is one of the oldest stakes races in Canadian racing.
It was first run in 1902 at Old Woodbine; the winner that year was Janice. These days the $175,000 stakes race at 1 1/16 miles lures the toughest older horses in the province and in recent years, trainers Josie Carroll, Kevin Attard and Mark Casse have won editions.
Those three trainers have the top contenders in the 120th running of Sunday, Nov. 19. It is race 8 at Woodbine and will be run on the Tapeta surface.
Canadian hero MIGHTY HEART, reigning Horse of the Year and leading contender for 2021 Champion Older Male, seeks to get back to the winner’s circle after some messy outings since his big run when second in the West Virginia Governor’s stakes at Charles Town in August.
Mighty Heart is the only 2-time stakes winner in 2021 in the field.
Larry Cordes’ homebred 4-year-old with one eye began the year back in April, finishing third in a Keeneland allowance race on dirt and then winning the Blame Stakes at famous Churchill Downs in May. Mighty Heart came back to Woodbine when fans were allowed back and won the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes.
He then went to West Virginia and was a clear second to rival Sprawl. Back at Woodbine Mighty Heart was wrangled back in the Seagram Cup (G3) in September and chased Tap it to Win to the wire.
In the Grade 3 Durham Cup last month, Mighty Heart, with new rider Patrick Husbands not to familiar with the one-eyed colt, again was outsprinted for the lead, lost a shoe, and then slipped back to fourth.
SPECIAL FORCES rallied to win the five-horse Durham while SIR WINSTON was bumped around in the late stages with HALO AGAIN. Those three are among the seven rivals that Mighty Heart will meet in the Autumn.
Special Forces won the 2019 Autumn Stakes for Soli Mehta and Kevin Attard, who had claimed the horse from the Mark Casse barn for $40,000.
Following the Durham victory, Attard declared the son of Candy Ride (Arg) the best older horse on the grounds.
“I think he’s always been a good horse,” said Attard. “Up until he got injured he was running against the best older horses on the grounds at Woodbine and was competing right with them. Any time you have to stop a horse for an extended period of time you always wonder, ‘Have they lost a step?’ or consider what level they’ll be able to come back at. I think he’s obviously put that to rest after his last race.”
Attard, three wins shy of 570 for his career, continues to be impressed by his consistent and resilient performer.
“Before we ran him the first time this year, I knew he was good and back to himself. I was eagerly awaiting him getting back to the races. There aren’t many times you come back and hook a Belmont winner (Sir Winston, on August 19). We ran a good second. I was happy with the race that my horse ran.”
“He just has a great turn of foot,” raved Attard. “He really closes hard down the lane. He’s an exciting horse to watch and a horse we claimed which makes it even more special just to see the improvement in him. He likes to sit at the back of the pack and come with a big run. Those ones are always exciting to watch.”
The early pace figures to be peppered by the presence of late supplement PRIMO TOUCH, who was third in the 12- furlong Canadian International (G1) on turf but recently ninth in an allowance race on turf after opening up a 20-length lead early. Primo Touch is 1 for 14 on the dirt and has only tried Tapeta once.
$175,000 AUTUMN STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Special Forces – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard
2 – Vanzzy – Rafael Hernandez – Michael Pino
3 – Primo Touch (S) – Eswan Flores – Harold Ladouceur
4 – Sir Winston – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
5 – Faraway Kitten – Luis Contreras – Denyse McClachrie
6 – Halo Again – Shaun Bridgmohan – Steve Asmussen
7 – Embolden – Mauricio Malvaez – Sandra Dominguez
8 – Mighty Heart – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll
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