Mighty Heart to take run at ending Triple Crown drought in $400,000 Breeders Stakes

Oct 21, 2020 | 10:07 AM

TORONTO — Mighty Heart will start his run for the Triple Crown from the No. 8 post Saturday.

The Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales champion was named the even-money favourite in the draw Wednesday for the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes.

The third and final jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown goes Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Mighty Heart tops the 12-horse field for the 1 1/2-mile turf race and again be ridden by Japanese-born Daisuke Fukumoto.

Fukumoto, 23, took Mighty Heart to an emphatic 7 1/2-length wire-to-wire Plate victory Sept. 12 as a 13-1 longshot, then rallied his horse from third off the final turn to win the Prince of Wales Stakes as the 6-5 favourite 17 days later in Fort Erie, Ont.

Only seven horses have won the Triple Crown since the series was established in 1959, the last being Wando in 2003.

A win by Mighty Heart on Saturday would make Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll just the fifth conditioner to capture the Triple Crown.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2020.

The Canadian Press