Heart to Heart Takes Third Swing at Maker's 46 Mile

There was a moment in the late stretch of the Feb. 10 Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes (G1T) when trainer Brian Lynch worried he was living through the same bad version of déjà vu.

His venerable charge Heart to Heart was again leading every point of call in a top-level race. And with only a handful of strides separating the son of English Channel  from the grade 1 victory that had eluded him seven previous times—often in gut-punching fashion—here came another rival closing in on him with the wire just ahead.

"It was a hell of a finish there, and I was thinking 'I've been to this BBQ before'," Lynch recalled. "Then he beared down and stuck his head out and got it done."

In his 34th start and eighth try against grade 1 company, Heart to Heart kept his neck in front of Kurilov and removed an albatross in the process. With that long-awaited top victory finally achieved, the 7-year-old horse will try and capture the race that has taunted him most when he heads a field of 10 in the $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile (G1T) at Keeneland April 13.

If there was ever a horse who paid his dues en route to reaching his peak, it is Terry Hamliton's resolute bay warrior with the distinctive marking that inspired his name. Though Heart to Heart had won nine graded stakes over the course of five seasons of racing heading into 2018, he seemed destined to play the hard-luck sentimental favorite suffering one tough beat after another whenever grade 1 glory was on the line.

The Maker's 46 Mile has been a particularly cruel venture for him. In 2016, Heart to Heart ran second to top filly Miss Temple City. In last spring's edition of the eight-furlong test, he lead every jump but the last, when American Patriot bested him by a neck.

When he was caught again at the wire in the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) over the Keeneland course last October—that time falling a head short of Suedois—then ended up 10th in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), none would have blamed Lynch and Hamilton if they resigned themselves to the fact their charge had done enough. As long as Heart to Heart kept showing a willingness to get back in there, however, they were going to oblige him. After a seventh-place run in the Jan. 13 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) in which he reared at the start and missed the break, he rewarded their long-standing faith with his Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes outing.

"It was great. If there was a horse who was deserving of (a grade 1), I feel he was one of them," Lynch said. "To finally get that monkey off his back was a pretty good feeling. He's in really good form this year so God bless him. At seven years old it might be his best year."

Lynch said he wouldn't hesitate to stretch Heart to Heart out more this year, citing the fact that, at the mile distance, he often faces more heat when using his front-end speed. If rain were to hit the Lexington area and the Keeneland course came up especially soft, Lynch said rerouting Heart to Heart to the 1 1/8-miles Old Forester Turf Classic (G1T) at Churchill Downs May 5 would be an option.

"We contemplated (the Turf Classic) and depending on how the weather here goes... we might skip here and go to that spot," Lynch said. "He's never lost at Churchill and he gets 1 1/8 miles. But he's in very good order right now."

One that could pressure Heart to Heart in the Maker's 46 Mile is fellow veteran graded stakes winner Om. The 6-year-old son of Munnings  will make his first start outside of California and was most recently sixth in the March 10 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Dan Hendricks, Om snapped a 12-race losing skid when he went gate-to-wire in the  Feb. 10 Thunder Road Stakes (G3T). Even when he isn't winning, the chestnut horse has always been right in the thick of the running, finishing on the board in 17 of 24 career starts.

The first time 9-year-old Hogy ran in a grade 1 race, he was with trainer Wayne Catalano and ended up eighth behind Silver Max  and eventual two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the 2013 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes. Five years and a few barns later, the old gelded son of Offlee Wild is as good as he's ever been with three stakes wins in his last six starts including a 3 3/4-length win in the one-mile Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) March 3 at Gulfstream Park for trainer Mike Maker.

"At his age, to get his 19th win in 50 starts, it's just incredible," Maker said after the Canadian Turf. "I kept asking (owner) Mike (Hui), 'I'd sure like to stretch him out.'"

Entries: Maker's 46 Mile S. (G1T)

Keeneland, Friday, April 13, 2018, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $300,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Nileator (KY)	Robby Albarado	118	Dale L. Romans	30/1
2	2Ballagh Rocks (KY)	Luis Saez	118	William I. Mott	9/2
3	3Forge (GB)	Joel Rosario	118	William I. Mott	8/1
4	4Tower of Texas (ON)	Jose Lezcano	118	Roger L. Attfield	12/1
5	5Frostmourne (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Christophe Clement	10/1
6	6Heart to Heart (ON)	Julien R. Leparoux	123	Brian A. Lynch	2/1
7	7Mr. Misunderstood (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Brad H. Cox	12/1
8	8Next Shares (KY)	Corey S. Nakatani	118	Richard Baltas	5/1
9	9Om (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Dan L. Hendricks	6/1
10	10Hogy (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Michael J. Maker	8/1