Champions Mighty Heart, Frosted Over clash in Eclipse Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Canadian champions Mighty Heart and Frosted Over will meet for the first time on Sunday at Woodbine in the Grade 2, $175,000 Eclipse Stakes.

Mighty Heart has been Canada’s Horse of the Year each of the past two years. The one-eyed 4-year-old returned from a four-month layoff April 23 at Keeneland in the Grade 3 Ben Ali, finishing a well-beaten sixth after flashing his customary speed.

Owner-breeder Larry Cordes said Mighty Heart wasn’t cranked up for his subpar performance in Kentucky.

“We knew that he wasn’t ready to run his best race,” Cordes explained. “We needed to get a race under his belt to come up here for the Eclipse. The trouble with a horse like Mighty Heart is there’s only so many races we can get for him. He’s not eligible for a lot of allowance races.”

Cordes said Mighty Heart has come up to the 1 1/16-mile Eclipse in fine fettle.

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“He’s feeling awfully good,” Cordes said. “I had him X-rayed last year from the bottom of his feet to his ears and the vet turned to me and said: ‘If I didn’t know this was a racehorse, I couldn’t tell. He’s in perfect condition. He has no problems whatsoever.’ ”

Frosted Over, Canada’s champion male 3-year-old in 2021, took the Grade 3 Ontario Derby before ending up second to Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston in the Grade 3 Valedictory on Dec. 5. The powerful bay has been idle since finishing third in a Jan. 29 handicap at Gulfstream Park, a race trainer Mark Casse was content with.

“It wasn’t bad,” Casse said. “They can’t go year round. I just gave him a little break after that. He’s come back well. He may not be at his very best just yet, but he’s pretty close.”

Artie’s Storm was among the leading 3-year-olds on the grounds last year, with restricted stakes scores in the Steady Growth and Lake Ontario. Trained by Paul Buttigieg, he has been working up a storm under jockey David Moran for his return from a six-month absence.

“This year, he seems so happy,” Moran said. “Hopefully, he just continues to step up as he gets older. It’s going to be a big test, two turns, coming off the shelf, but if you were to watch him breeze and train, you’d be pretty impressed. He’s just a lovely horse. He’s really kind, very laid-back.”

Riptide Rock was a hard-luck second in last year’s Queen’s Plate before finishing third in the Toronto Cup, second in the Breeders’, and second in the Ontario Derby. He won his season debut in a second-level allowance here May 1.

Rounding out the field are graded stakes winner Special Forces and the 1 1/16-mile track-record holder Seventyseven Stone.