Heart to Heart Repeats in Canadian Turf

Terry Hamilton's Heart to Heart, who won last year's Canadian Turf (G3) gate to wire, did it all over again Saturday when he broke on top and was never headed to win the $150,000 event by three quarters of a length at Gulfstream Park.

A 6-year-old by English Channel, Heart to Heart has won four of five starts across Gulfstream's turf course and 12 of 27 starts. He covered the mile course Saturday under jockey Julien Leparoux in 1:32.63.

Heart to Heart's victories include last year's Fort Lauderdale (G2) and Knickerbocker (G3) at Belmont Park.

Heart to Heart took the lead under Leparoux and set fractions of :22.94, :46.25 and 1:09.57 before holding off Bondurant. Conquest Panthera was third while Projected and Giant Run finished in a dead heat for fourth.

“This is the pride and joy of our barn,” said winning trainer Brian Lynch. “I’ve been preaching all week that he’s never trained better.        

“I always say he runs the turns like a rat in a barrel. I think they underestimate how much he gets away from them when he runs the turn, and I think that was the case today. There’s no one who fits him better. Julien has a lot of confidence in him and he has a lot of confidence in Julien.”

“Today it didn’t look like there was too much speed in the race,” stated Leparoux, “so I thought I would be on the lead a little bit easier, actually. They put a little bit of pressure on me which they had to do. The thing today was when I got to the quarter pole and asked him, he really kicked at the end. Last time he dind’t really do it and today he was back to himself. He ran a big race.

He’s a horse you kind of leave him alone. He likes to run free so when he breaks good and he’s on the lead I just kind of leave him alone. He relaxed by himself on the backside. Usually when you get on him at the quarter pole he just levels off and kicks very nice at the end.”

Source: Gulfstream Park