Artie Schiller no soft spot for Heart to Heart
Over the past 12 months, Heart to Heart has won four graded stakes on turf and finished second at the Grade 1 level. Despite his sharp form and a drop into a listed stakes, Heart to Heart is no cinch in a quality field in Saturday’s $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct.
The one-mile turf stakes drew a field of 10 older horses, plus two also-eligibles and a pair entered for the main track only. Heart to Heart’s competition includes Jay Gatsby, who has recorded three straight triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in stakes while finishing second each time; the New York-bred Kharafa, who missed by a neck in the Grade 3 Oceanport the last time he faced open company; and Blacktype, winner of the Oceanport and Grade 2 Commonwealth Turf Cup in back-to-back starts.
“When you look at the field, it easily could have been a graded stakes,” said Brian Lynch, who trains the 5-year-old Heart to Heart. “You’d think you’d get a bit of class relief, but the field is as good as any Grade 2 or 3 you’d see throughout the summer.”
Lynch likes the fact Heart to Heart is cutting back to a mile five weeks after winning the Grade 3 Knickerbocker by a half-length going 1 1/8 miles.
“This race is his preferable distance,” Lynch said. “A mile and an eighth is a bit of an extension for him.”
◗ Saturday’s card also includes the $100,000 Notebook for New York-bred 2-year-olds going six furlongs. The most accomplished runner in the full field of 12 is Gold for the King, winner of the $219,000 New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes. Gold for the King, trained by Charlton Baker, will be adding blinkers and cutting back from a mile after finishing third as the 5-2 favorite over a sloppy, sealed track in the Sleepy Hollow at Belmont Park.
Artie Schiller, Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Heart to Heart, by English Channel
Last 3 Beyers: 105-93-105
◗ After 13 straight appearances in graded stakes, he will run in a listed race for the first time since August 2014.
◗ Drew post 10, but he was able to win from post 9 in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale in January.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 10 Heart to Heart. Trainer Brian Lynch is 11-0-1-0 over the past five years on turf at Aqueduct. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Blacktype, by Dunkerque
Last 3 Beyers; 100-101-102
◗ His last four Beyers have been in the narrow range of 100 to 102.
◗ Failed to fire his best shot over yielding ground when third behind Heart to Heart and Jay Gatsby in the Knickerbocker.
Jay Gatsby, by Giant’s Causeway
Last 3 Beyers: 104-103-103
◗ Came up a half-length short of Heart to Heart in the Knickerbocker.
◗ This will be the first time he has raced as short as a mile since coming to the United States from France last year.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Jay Gatsby. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is 27-9-4-2 with a $2.63 ROI over the past five years on turf at Aqueduct. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Kharafa, by Kitalpha
Last 3 Beyers: 100-99-101
◗ He just missed against Blacktype in the Oceanport and has been involved in the exacta in all four of his starts on Aqueduct’s turf course.