Mighty Heart has nose victory in Blame, Envoutante triumphs in Shawnee

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mighty Heart, the one-eyed 2020 Canadian Horse of the Year, lived up to his name with a victory by the barest of noses in the $150,000 Blame Stakes for older horses Saturday at Churchill Downs, a win that will send him from his temporary Kentucky home back to his Canadian base with momentum.

"He loves to get in a fight," jockey James Graham said. "He stretched his neck out."

Mighty Heart won the first two legs of the pandemic-delayed 2020 Canadian Triple Crown, - the Queen's Plate last Sept. 12 on Woodbine's synthetic main track, and the Prince of Wales Stakes 15 days later on the dirt at Fore Erie. However, in his Triple Crown bid, he was seventh in the Breeders' Stakes on the Woodbine turf, and then fourth in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby to close the year.

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The colt, trained by Josie Carroll, was beaten by fellow Blame entrant South Bend to finish third in an allowance event on April 17 at Keeneland to open this campaign. Off that effort, Mighty Heart ($21.40) was cold on the board for the Blame, going off as the second-longest choice and likely blowing up some tickets for the Derby City 6 wager. Chasing a carryover of $150,655 and with a mandatory payout for the all-stakes sequence Saturday, the pool had grown to more than $1.1 million as the field for the Blame entered the starting gate.

When that gate opened, Mighty Heart and Graham, breaking from the rail, ceded that inside path and the early lead to American Dubai, who broke swiftly from post 3 to cross over and establish command through moderate opening fractions of 24.32 seconds for the quarter and 49.07 for the half. Mighty Heart settled off the leader's hip under a long hold, while Sprawl, who had been roughed at the start, quickly recovered to track them in third.

Around the far turn, Night Ops, who was sent away favored off a close runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Ben Ali last month at Keeneland, began to loom the danger, making a sweeping move around the far turn to join the top three. American Dubai kicked on to still lead by more than a length in upper stretch, but quickly found himself swallowed up, leaving Sprawl, who found room up the rail, Night Ops, taking the overland route, and Mighty Heart, between horses, to duke it out through the final furlong. At the wire, officially, it was Mighty Heart by a nose between horses, with Night Ops second by a head over Sprawl.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.

Two lengths behind the top three came the fading American Dubai, followed by South Bend, who had been in tight down the lane, and Guest Suite. Silver Dust, the Ben Ali winner, was a late scratch after rearing in the starting gate.

By text, trainer Josie Carroll said that Mighty Heart was scheduled to ship home Sunday to Canada, where Woodbine is now scheduled to open its meet on June 18, without spectators, due to the ongoing pandemic. The season had originally been scheduled to begin in April, leaving many Ontario-based trainers competing in Kentucky this spring.

"We will see how he comes out of this race and possibly look at the Dominion Day on July 1 at Woodbine," Carroll said. "He's a game little horse."

The Grade 3, $150,000 Dominion Day is run on Woodbine's main track.

The Blame and its female counterpart, the $150,000 Shawnee Stakes, were added to the spring stakes schedule at Churchill Downs last season to serve as local preps for the Grade 2, $600,000 Stephen Foster and the Grade 2, $250,000 Fleur de Lis, respectively, both on June 26. While Mighty Heart is not expected to stay in town for the Foster, the locally based Envoutante could headline the Fleur de Lis after a 4 1/4-length victory in the Shawnee one race later on Saturday.

Also in contrast to Mighty Heart, who kicked off a multi-race wager with an upset, Envoutante ($2.80) was sent away favored for her victory, which began an all-stakes Pick 5 at Churchill Downs.

Envoutante, under Brian Hernandez Jr., sat kindly in second on the outside of leader Miss Bigly in the early stages of the Shawnee. She easily powered by when given her cue in upper stretch, and widened to her final margin, finishing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.59. Envoutante had to wait out a brief delay before getting her photo taken, as Phil D'Amato, trainer of Miss Bigly, lodged an objection claiming interference that was quickly reviewed and dismissed by the stewards.

After the top two, it was 3 1/4 lengths back to second choice Paris Lights, followed by High Regard, Microcap, Istan Council, La Renoleta, and Goodbye Earl.

Envoutante had a productive 3-year-old campaign in 2020, finishing third in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and a solid fourth in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga behind champion stablemate Swiss Skydiver, graded stakes winner Bonny South, and subsequent Grade 1 winner Harvey's Lil Goil. Given an easier assignment, Envoutante won the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks, then defeated older females to win the Grade 2 Falls City Stakes last November at Churchill.

Envoutante has again been facing the best of her division this year, finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn and then second in the Grade 1 La Troienne four weeks ago at Churchill. Both races were won by 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil.

"She does well with a confidence-booster, and I really feel like this was good for her," trainer Ken McPeek said of setting the filly up for the Fleur de Lis. "She ran hard last time in the Grade 1."