Tap It To Win upsets Mighty Heart in Woodbine's G3 Seagram Cup

Tap It to Win broke running and never looked back in taking the Grade 3, $122,904 Seagram Cup Saturday at Woodbine. 

Under Rafael Hernandez, Tap It to Win, trained by Mark Casse for Live Oak Plantation, burst out of the gate and immediately seized control of the 1 1/16-mile main track race for 3-year-olds and up. 

Mighty Heart, Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year, was settled into second by Daisuke Fukumoto, as the field was led through early splits of :25.70 and :49.05. 

As the field rounded the turn for home, Mighty Heart was called upon for his best run as Tap It to Win, the 9-2 third choice, was still running comfortably and confidently through three-quarters in 1:12.96. 

Ahead by two lengths at Robert Geller’s stretch call, Tap It to Win crossed the wire a 1 3/4-length winner in a time of 1:43.79. Mighty Heart was second and Special Forces took third.

It was first graded stakes triumph for the homebred, who was making his first start on the Toronto oval Tapeta. 

Hernandez, who followed the pre-race instructions to perfection, felt confident at every step of the Seagram Cup. 

“They told me, ‘Raffi, just got to the lead. Do your thing there. Put him on the lead and the rest is up to the horse.’ When I looked back turning for home, I said, ‘If they have something, they have to run faster than me because I still have plenty.”  

He paid $11.40 for the win. 

Tap It to Win finished second in his career bow in July 2019 at Woodbine, breaking his maiden the next time out at Saratoga.  

He kicked-off his 2021 campaign with a win in the Sprint Stakes at Tampa Bay Down on March 28, and arrived at the Seagram Cup off a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 (turf) Connaught Cup on July 18 at Woodbine.

Now a five-time winner from 14 starts, Tap It to Win is out of stakes-winning Medaglia d’Oro broodmare Onepointhreekarats.