Tobys Heart sticking with turf-sprint game for Intercontinental Stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – While trainer Brian Lynch still feels Tobys Heart can be successful around two turns, he can no longer argue the evidence that shows she’s most effective as a come-from-behind turf sprinter.
With the focus now on those types of races, Tobys Heart hopes to earn her first graded stakes victory in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes going six furlongs over Belmont Park’s Widener turf course.
The Intercontinental, which drew a bulky field of 13, goes as the last of 11 races – including five stakes – on a card that begins at 12:50 p.m.
Tobys Heart, a 4-year-old daughter of Jack Milton, is 4 for 4 in races at 5 1/2 furlongs, including a neck victory in the Unbridled Sidney Stakes last month at Churchill Downs. She earned a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort and Lynch feels the filly has excelled since the race.
“I thought it was a really game effort and I think a little bit extra ground will be ideal for her,” Lynch said. “I think she goes into this as good as she’s gone into a race all year. I’ve never been as happy with her as I am at the moment.”
Lynch said he won’t mind if forecasted showers on Thursday take some of the firmness out of the turf course on Friday.
“It might help a few of those speed horses come back to her,” said Lynch, who has Jose Ortiz, 2 for 3 on Tobys Heart, to ride on Friday.
Those speed horses include Robin Sparkles, Illegal Smile, and maybe Caravel. Caravel has spotty form but she has defeated females the last four times she’s faced them. Most recently, facing males, Caravel finished sixth, 3 1/4 lengths behind winner Arrest Me Red in the Grade 2 Turf Sprint at Churchill.
“It was a good trip but the turf course wasn’t playing to horses down on the inside,” said Brad Cox, the trainer of Caravel. “We’ll give her a pass, and now back with fillies, hopefully, we can get her back on the winning track.”
Trainer Christophe Clement has the uncoupled entry of Lady Edith and Miss J McKay in the Intercontinental. Lady Edith won the Wishing Well Stakes over Turfway’s synthetic surface in January before going through the auction ring and being transferred to Clement.
“Her two works for us she worked well,” Clement said. “We ought to run her.”
Miss J McKay was an eye-catching winner of the License Fee Stakes here on May 1. She must overcome post 13.
Jouster is interesting at a potential price. In her first start sprinting on turf, she was pinched back to last out of the gate in the Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland. After saving ground, she was tipped nine to 10 wide by Flavien Prat and finished sixth, beaten five lengths.
Star Devine runs here after finishing second in the Giant’s Causeway in her first start off an eight-month layoff.
The Grass Is Blue, Assertive Style, Illegal Smile, Flower Point, Miss Majorette, and Nevisian Sunrise complete the field.