Heart to Heart Seeks Canadian Turf Defense at GP

Heart to Heart, a winner of three graded stakes and four stakes overall in 2016, will seek to re-establish his winning form March 4 in the $150,000 Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park.

Under the guidance of trainer Brian Lynch, Heart to Heart has attained millionaire status with 11 wins from 26 starts. The 6-year-old will shorten up to a mile in the Canadian Turf from his seasonal debut in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G2T), which saw the frontrunner fade late to finish fourth going 1 1/16 miles. In 2016 Heart to Heart won both the Fort Lauderdale and Canadian Turf gate to wire.

LEWYN: Heart to Heart All the Way at Gulfstream

Projected is the wild card in the race. The Juddmonte Farms homebred runner will be making his North American debut after 11 starts in France that yielded three allowance victories. Given to trainer Chad Brown, Projected has early speed and has fared better at shorter distances, but hasn't won in three tries at one mile. Brown has given him a series of half-mile works throughout February for this unveiling.

Well-travelled Dragon Bay comes off the bench after scoring in the English Channel Stakes at a mile in October at Belmont Park. While competitive in a couple of graded stakes tries, Dragon Bay must show a better finishing touch to claim the top prize.

Interpol is a grade 1 winner thanks to last September’s Northern Dancer Stakes at Woodbine, but is a longer-winded runner whose best distances run between 10 and 12 furlongs.

NOVAK: Interpol Springs Upset in Northern Dancer

Conquest Panthera has found a home on the turf, winning his last two starts in allowance company, but the 5-year-old has only five starts. Giant Run is another last-out winner, having taken the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream on the final day of 2016.

Bondurant ran evenly when fifth in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) last time out. He missed by a neck to Hay Dakota in the Commonwealth Turf Stakes (G3T) in November. Macagone will leave from the rail but showed little in the Fort Lauderdale. He won the Artie Schiller in November but his graded tries haven’t amounted to much. It’s been more than a year since Vision Perfect’s last graded attempt and he’s tailed off badly in his past three starts.