Tap It To Win Wires Rivals In Seagram Cup

TORONTO, ON – Tap It to Win broke running and never looked back in taking the $156,000 Seagram Cup (G3) on Saturday afternoon 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 3/4 in 1:12.96.

Ahead by 2 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 the 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 NYRABETS Sprint Stakes at Tampa Bay Down on March 28 and arrived at the Seagram Cup off a seventh-place finish in the Connaught Cup (G2) on July 18 at Woodbine.

Now a 5-time winner from 14 starts, Tap It to Win is out of the stakes-winning Medaglia d’Oro broodmare Onepointhreekarats.