It would be hard to have a better story-line finish in this year’s Queen’s Plate than what transpired on September 12 at Woodbine. The 161st Plate was already historical because it was being held three months later than usual due to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic and held without fans and only scatterings of horse owners.
And then there, at the top of the stretch run of the 1 1/4 mile Canadian classic, was the one-eyed MIGHTY HEART, a medium-sized bay colt with three white socks with young Daisuke Fukumoto riding, powering away from 13 rivals on his way to Plate glory.
On the track apron, his owner and breeder Lawrence Cordes celebrated, trainer Josie Carroll was jubilant as another of her trainees, Belichick, finished second, while her favoured runner Curlin’s Voyage was not far off in fifth.
And groom Siobahn Brown from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, burst into tears.
It is 2020, the year that we will never forget and a year when the strange is, well, the new normal.
Mighty Heart didn’t just win sans-oeil, he ran the second-fastest Plate in history, stopping the timer at 2:01.98, just off the 2:01.80 set by the brilliant Ivzestia in 1990. And he did it all by simply leading all the way from post position 13 under Fukumoto, who only just won his first stakes race 3 weeks ago and is still a month shy of his 22nd birthday
“Unbelievable,” said Fukumoto. “I can’t explain…he’s feeling good today, he broke good. I saw that nobody [was leaving] so I just sent him and he just kept going. After the wire, he still kept going, he didn’t stop there.”
For Larry Cordes, who started up his Lawrcon Electric and Machinery Corporation in Scarborough and built it into a successful Ontario-wide repair company based in Pickering, Mighty Heart has fulfilled a dream.
Larry Cordes and granddaughter Jennifer – photo by Phil McSween
“Awesome,” said Cordes. “A dream come true. We had great faith in the horse, everybody did and I want to thank everybody who helped out.”
Cordes claimed a horse in 2000, Y’All So Pretty, with trainer Tino Attard and raced her for two years before leaving horse racing for a few years.
In 2011 he was back and it was that year that a fast 2-year-old filly he owned, Emmas Bullseye, won a maiden race at 30 to 1 at Woodbine in her first race. But she would never race again.
Instead Cordes elected to dip into the breeding game. Emmas Bulleyes produced two winners from her first two foals before Mighty Heart came around.
Cordes sent Emmas Bullseye to Kentucky to be bred to Dramedy, who won the 1 1/2 mile Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland and three other races. The horse stood for $7,500 (US) but was soon relocated to Oklahoma. The beautifully-bred son of Distorted Humor was sent to Saudi Arabia last November.
Josie Carroll, inducted into the Canadian Horse racing Hall of Fame in 2019, got her third Plate win and knew Mighty Heart was one who was going to relish the 1 1/4 mile distance.
“He can be a bit of a tough one in the mornings,” said Carroll. “He is hard to get pulled up, he just keeps going.”
Carroll was very pleased with maiden BELICHICK, a Lemon Drop Kid colt owned by Americans Nancy Favreau and Kathy Psoinos and LNJ Foxwoods of Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth. Bred by Sean Fitzhenry, Belichick came from 11th and in a crowd to be a clear second over Clayton, the second favourite and winner of the Plate Trial.
Clayton had a perfect trip behind Mighty Heart but could not go with that one into the stretch.
Tecumseh’s War, coming out of the same allowance race against older horses that Mighty Heart was in, finishing just behind him, chased Mighty Heart all the way and stayed on for fourth while Oaks winner Curlin’s Voyage had a wide journey and stayed on for fifth.
Mighty Heart returned $28.50, $13.80 and $8.20, combining with Belichick ($20.90, $12.10) for a $730.40 (13-3) exactor. A 13-3-12 (Clayton, $4.20 to show) triactor paid $1,878.70 for a $1 ticket, while a $1 Superfecta [13-3-12-14 (Tecumseh’s War)] was worth $19,389.75.
There were 13 races in all on Plate day, four stakes events that also had some wild results.
MIZZEN BEAU, owned by Patrick Daniel, led all the way to win the $250,000 Bison City Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Tiara for 3-year-old Canadian-bred fillies. Bred by Richard Lister, Mizzen Beau is trained by Norm Casse, son of famed trainer Mark, and this grey daughter of Mizzen Mast – Donna Getyourgun by Stormy Atlantic had been fourth in the Oaks and fifth in the Fury Stakes. She had won her maiden last fall at Keeneland and took an allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs in March.
Ridden by Steve Bahen, Mizzen Beau led her rivals, including heavily-favoured Afleet Katherine, on a merry chase and won by 4 3/4 lengths at 8 to 1.
Mizzen Beau was a $16,000 yearling and then bought for $100,000 the next year by Daniel at a 2-year-old sale in Ocala.
Favourites took a beating again in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at ‘about’ 1 1/8 miles on turf. Sam-Son Farms RIDEFORTHECAUSE, a recent allowance/optional claiming winner, forged past Chad Brown trainee Cambier Parc to win under David Moran for trainer Gail Cox. The Candy Ride (Arg) – Danceforthecause by Giant’s Causeway filly, a 4-year-old, had had a start-and-stop career since winning twice in 2019 but now has 4 wins in 10 races.
In the Ruling Angel Stakes, Josie Carroll trainee Boardroom, the heavy favourite, had a rein snap out of the gate and still ran third while jockey Luis Contreras was holding on for dear life. Meanwhile, Ken and Sarah Ramsay’s Artie’s Princess bombed away for a near-track record at 6 1/2 furlongs for trainer Wesley Ward and jockey Justin Stein.
Speaking of records, Maryland invader Francatelli zoomed to a huge win in the King Corrie Stakes earlier in the day and tied the course record for 5 furlongs on the grass of 55.46 for trainer Cathal Lynch, who owns the City Zip gelding with Maribeth Sanford. Justin Stein rode this guy as well.
It was a super day of racing under difficult circumstances. Wagering of over $14 million was strong considering there were no fans (last year’s Plate day had a record $18 million in wagering). The small numbers of people per Plate horse watched their prized equines from the apron among strict security.
Still, there is nothing like some 25-30,000 fans in attendance on Canada’s greatest day of horse racing and the quiet around the giant grandstand during the Plate was sobering.
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