Canadian champion MIGHTY HEART, fresh off a victory on the Tampa Bay Downs dirt last month, is entered in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes on the grass on Feb. 4. The $175,000 stakes race has an overflow field of 14 but only 12 will be allowed to compete.
Canadian jockey KEVEH NICHOLLS, who hails from Barbados, will ride Mighty Heart for the first time and the pair drew post position 3.
Mighty Heart, the 2020 Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes winner, has been named Horse of the Year twice and Larry Cordes’ homebred by Dramedy is a multiple graded stakes winner. While he went winless in 2022, he tested the grass a few times and ran well when fifth beaten just 1 3/4 lengths in the Niagara Stakes and sixth in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile behind Modern Games. He seeks his first turf win.
Now trained by Patrick County, Jr. Mighty Heart won an optional claiming/allowance race on Jan. 6 at 1 mile and 40 yards on dirt with an 85 Beyer Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. Daniel Centeno rode him that day but Nicholls picks up the mount for the Tampa Bay Stakes.
Nicholls, coming off two of his career-best years as a jockey with over $1 million in purses won by his mounts, won 29 races in 2022 while riding at Woodbine. He has also ridden stakes winners at Hastings Racecourse.
EMMA-JAYNE WILSON has picked up the ride on KENTUCKY GHOST for the Tampa Bay Stakes for trainer Vicki Oliver.
Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs #9, post time: 4:55 p.m. EST
TAMPA BAY S.-GIII, $175,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1. Barberini, Flintshire (GB) Rhianon Farms, Inc. Delacour Suarez 118
2. Kentucky Ghost, Ghostzapper BBN Racing, LLC Oliver Wilson 120
3. Mighty Heart, Dramedy Lawrence Cordes County, Jr. Nicholls 118
4. Winfromwithin, Into Mischief Lea Farms, LLC Delgado Batista 120
5. Starting Over, Liam’s Map Nice Guys Stables Falcone, Jr. Rojas 118
6. Emmanuel, More Than Ready WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LLC Pletcher Castellano 122
7. Field Pass, Lemon Drop Kid Three Diamonds Farm Maker Leon 120
8. Verbal, Flintshire (GB) Juddmonte Brown Diaz, Jr. 118
9. Drama Chorus, Big Drama Peter D. Mattson Padilla Quinonez 120
10. Chez Pierre (Fr), Mehmas (Ire) Lael Stables Delacour Centeno 118
11. Dakota Gold, Freud Reeves Thoroughbred Racing Gargan Gallardo 120
12. He’spuregold, Vancouver (Aus) Roseland Farm Stable Breen Lopez 118
13ae Golden Alchemist Nyquist Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC Brown Camacho 118
14ae Creed K Honor Code Edward J. Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson McGaughey III Morales 118
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