November 20, 2024

Heart to Heart uncatchable in Jefferson Cup

Last updated: 9/27/14 6:44 PM











Heart to Heart had little trouble leading throughout in the Jefferson Cup

(Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography)

Heart to Heart ran to expectations on Saturday at
Churchill Downs with
a wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 3, $110,000

Jefferson Cup
, a one-mile turf race for three-year-olds.

The 1-2 favorite in a field of seven, Heart to Heart led by a length through
splits of :24 1/5 and :47 4/5, stretched that lead to two lengths through six
furlongs in 1:11 2/5, and strolled home a four-length winner in a time of 1:34
2/5 over firm ground.

Owned by Terry Hamilton and trained by Brian Lynch, Heart to Heart returned
$3 with Julien Leparoux in the irons.

“We got the first quarter pretty easy; he was just galloping early on,”
Leparoux said. “He was just happy in front. He relaxed and then when I asked him
at the quarter pole he just gave a big kick. He’s a very nice, classy horse and
he obviously won pretty easily. I rode him once at Keeneland before and knew he
was nice though because we won that day, too. So I was glad to be back on him.”

Captain Dixie, the 9-1 fourth choice was a clear second by 2 1/4 lengths over
14-1 chance Sportscaster. Stormy Pacific, Hesinfront, Battlefront, and Almost
Famous rounded out the order of finish after the scratch of Speightsland.

This was the second consecutive stakes win for Heart to Heart, who landed the
$100,000 Better Talk Now at Saratoga in similar fashion on August 20. The colt
previously placed twice in stakes company at Woodbine, in the 2013 Vandal and in
the July 20 Toronto Cup, the latter his only loss in four starts on turf. His
overall record now stands at 11-4-1-2, $263,325.

A son of grass champion English Channel and the Silver Deputy mare Ask the
Question, Heart to Heart was bred in Ontario by Red Hawk Ranch and sold for
$25,347 as a yearling in Canada.

Heart to Heart’s fourth dam was Irish champion Fair Astronomer. Also hailing
from this female family was Grade 1 winner Chart the Stars.



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