Heart to Heart Among Eight for Jefferson Cup

Terry Hamilton's Heart to Heart is unbeaten in two turf starts at a mile this year and will bid for his first graded stakes win in the $100,000 Jefferson Cup (gr. IIIT) Sept. 27 going that distance on the Churchill Downs lawn. 

Seven other 3-year-old colts were entered for the Jefferson Cup: Battlefront, Captain Dixie, Hesinfront, Speightsland, Sportscaster, Stormy Pacific, and Almost Famous.

A speed-loving son of turf champion English Channel  , Heart to Heart ran rivals off their feet last time out, leading all the way in a three-length romp on grass in the one-mile Better Talk Now Stakes Aug. 20 on Saratoga Race Course. In his turf and season debut in April at Keeneland, he showed his affinity for the surface and distance in a stylish 6 1/4-length triumph over subsequent Iowa Derby (gr. III) winner Jessica's Star for trainer Brian Lynch. 

The Ontario-bred colt is 2-for-3 on the turf overall this season. His two victories bookend the July 20 Toronto Cup on the Woodbine grass, in which he found the 1 1/8-mile distance a bit too far and finished a third after setting the pace. 

Heart to Heart ships in to Louisville having turned in a :50 flat half-mile breeze at Woodbine Sept. 19.

Chuck and Maribeth Sandford's stakes-placed Almost Famous will make his turf debut in the Jefferson Cup. He has won three of five starts on Churchill's main track.

"He's been doing great," trainer Patrick Byrne said of the Unbridled's Song colt, who is coming off a fourth-place effort in the Smarty Jones (gr. III) at Parx Racing. "Unfortunately we haven't been able to work him on the turf, but he has two siblings that have both won on turf, so we're hoping he takes to it well."

Prior to his Smarty Jones performance, Almost Famous placed third in the Ohio Derby and third in the Matt Winn (gr. III) at Churchill, where in his start prior to that race, he led all the way and captured 1 1/16-mile allowance event by 7 3/4 lengths May 24. 

"We thought about some other races, but with this one being restricted to 3-year-olds, we figured we'd take a shot," Byrne said. "We'll see how it goes. If he likes the grass he should be right there."

While Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel has ridden Almost Famous in four races at Churchill, Byrne said Joe Rocco Jr. would get the call for the Jefferson Cup.

"I think we're going to get Joe Rocco to ride him just to mix things up," Byrne said. "He's been on him once before so hopefully he can guide him to a win on Saturday."