Heart to Heart, Oscar Performance work together

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Brian Lynch leaves his top two grass runners Heart to Heart and Oscar Performance at Belmont Park during the summer because he believes both horses thrive there.

With one last opportunity to work them over the Belmont turf Monday before the course closes for the summer, Lynch put the two in company for a strong five-furlong move designed to prepare them for upcoming stakes engagements.

Heart to Heart began the work about 4 1/2 lengths in front of Oscar Performance, who under Jose Ortiz made up about three of those lengths by the wire before joining up with Heart to Heart on the gallop-out.

Oscar Performance went five furlongs in 1:01.99 while Heart to Heart went the same distance in 1:01.50.

“It was our last chance we have on the turf, so I wanted to let them breeze and I thought it went real nice,” Lynch said. “They got a good blow out of it. I thought it was a beautiful piece of work. It couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Heart to Heart, who is a neck shy of having won three Grade 1 races this year, is pointing to the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave at Saratoga on Aug. 11.

Oscar Performance, who came off a seven-month layoff to win the Grade 3 Poker in what is believed to be a North American record time of 1:31.23 for a mile, is pointing to the Grade 1 Arlington Million on the same day.

Both horses will continue to train at Belmont for the next few weeks, but their workouts will be on the dirt.