Heart to Heart Seeks Elusive Grade I in GP Turf

Heart to Heart during Breeders' Cup week | Horsephotos

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On seven occasions, Terry Hamilton's Heart to Heart (English Channel) has tried Grade I competition, only to be thwarted on each attempt. On the flip side of that coin, he has finished second or third in four of those races, with three of those defeats by less than 3/4 of a length. The durable 7-year-old will look to right that wrong in a competitive-looking renewal of the GI Gulfstream Park Turf S. Saturday in Hallandale.

The bay earned better than a half-million dollars in another successful season in 2017, dropping a half-length decision in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile before fading to finish 10th after setting a decent pace in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in November. He made his seasonal debut in this track's GII Fort Lauderdale S. Jan. 13, but the need-the-lead Ontario-bred bombed the start, chased from fourth and dropped away tamely to finish seventh. It'll be pedal to the metal for Julien Leparoux from gate one.

When last seen at this nine-furlong trip, Money Multiplier (Lookin At Lucky) returned from a November layoff to dominate his rivals in the GII Monmouth S. last July. He stretched out in distance for his remaining three starts of the year, duplicating a runner-up effort from 2016 in the GI Sword Dancer Invitational ahead of an eighth to stablemate Beach Patrol (Lemon Drop Kid) in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational in September. A latest fourth in the 11-furlong GIII Red Smith H. Nov. 11, he has since been sold to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Thani's Qatar-based Al Shahania Stud and is under consideration for the $1-million Emir's Trophy (2400m) in Doha in two weeks' time, trainer Chad Brown confirmed.

Kurilov (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky), a Group 1 winner on dirt and Group 2-placed on turf (video) in Chile, made two starts on the main track at the tail end of 2017, finishing fourth in a one-mile optional claimer at Aqueduct before checking in a close third in the Dec. 23 Queens County S. He likes to race prominently and could get first run on the leaders if the pace is hot.

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