Heart to Heart bypassing Appleton for Maker's 46 Mile

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Brian Lynch has enjoyed a terrific winter at Gulfstream Park, winning 12 races from 50 starters, including a 5-for-5 record in stakes.

Heart to Heart was responsible for two of those stakes wins, taking the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale and Grade 3 Canadian Turf. While Lynch said Heart to Heart would “be the boss” in Saturday’s $200,000 Appleton Stakes, he plans to skip that race and point the horse to the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile at Keeneland on April 15.

Lynch had considered running Heart to Heart in the Dubai Turf last weekend but decided against it.

“If I had a shed row full of [those kind of] horses, I’d take a shot, but we only got a couple, and I want him around for the rest of the year, as tempting as it was,” Lynch said. “I’m going to head to the Maker’s [46 Mile] with him. I know he loves the track down here, and it’s [$200,000] on the table, but I’d love to try and win a Grade 1 with him. He’s in such good form right now.”

Lynch has several other runners targeting stakes at Keeneland. Power Alert, a two-time listed stakes winner at Gulfstream, is pointing to the Grade 2, $200,000 Shakertown on April 9. Baciami Piccola, who won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, is pointing to the Grade 3, $125,000 Appalachian on April 14.

Meanwhile, Grand Arch, the winner of the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last October, worked a half-mile at Keeneland on Sunday, according to Lynch. Grand Arch hasn’t raced since finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Oct. 31. Lynch doesn’t have a race picked out for Grand Arch but thinks he could make the Keeneland meet or the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, May 7.

A previous version of this article misstated a race trainer Brian Lynch was considering for Heart to Heart. It was the Dubai Turf, not the Dubai Sheema Classic.