Silent Heart. (Ryan Thompson)
Son of Heart to Heart Looks to Double Up in Tropical Park Derby
14 Entered in Turf Event
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Terry Hamilton’s Silent Heart is scheduled to seek back-to-back stakes wins at Gulfstream Park Saturday when the son of Heart to Heart takes on a full field of 3-year-olds in the $140,000 Tropical Park Derby.
With a victory in the 1 1/16-mile turf event, Silent Heart, who romped to a 3 ½-length triumph in the Nov. 2 Showing Up, would match a feat his sire accomplished twice at Gulfstream during a long and highly productive career.
“His father certainly had a fondness for Gulfstream, didn’t he?” said Brian Lynch, who trained Heart to Heart and now trains Silent Heart for Hamilton.
The son of English Channel, who earned more than $2 million from 2013 through 2019, won the Fort Lauderdale (G2) and Canadian Turf (G3) back-to-back in 2016 before going back-to-back in 2017 in the El Prado and Canadian Turf (G3). In 2018, Heart to Heart captured the Gulfstream Park Turf (G1), currently renewed as the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), before winning the Maker’s 46 Mile (G1) at Keeneland.
Silent Heart took to Gulfstream’s turf immediately last season, following up a pair of runner-up finishes out of town with a 2 ¼-length maiden victory last December. Hamilton’s homebred colt came right back to win a first level optional claiming allowance before coming up just a neck short while finishing third in the Colonel Liam. Following a summer break, in which a small chip was removed from a hind ankle, Silent Heart finished third in a Keeneland turf sprint before returning to Gulfstream and the winner’s circle with a 3 ½-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Showing Up.
“He certainly has that fine tenacity as Heart to Heart does,” Lynch said. “He’s a competitive little horse. He’s an easy-keeper around the barn. You wouldn’t even know he’s here, but when you get him out on the racetrack, he does have that bit of tenacity that his father had.”
Lynch was quick to recognize the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
“I was always hoping that Heart to Heart can come up with a good little horse. When I started breezing him – we had a few of them – he shined like new money,” Lynch said.
Edgar Perez has the return mount aboard Silent Heart Saturday.
Silent Heart will become reacquainted with West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig LLC’s Cugino in the Tropical Park Derby. Shug McGaughey-trained Cugino and Silent Heart finished noses apart in the Colonel Liam, in which Cugino eked out a second-place finish behind Abrumar.
Cugino has been graded stakes-placed twice since that meeting, including a runner-up finish in the Hill Prince (G3) at Aqueduct last time out.
Irad Ortiz Jr. is scheduled to ride the son of Twirling Candy for the first time Saturday.
Gary Barber’s In a Jam finished a well-beaten second behind Silent Heart in the Showing Up, but the son of Preservationist has also shown a distinct liking for the Gulfstream turf, over which he has finished first or second in all five starts. Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, In a Jam won the off-the-turf Not Surprising over Gulfstream’s Tapeta course in June before going on to earn a graded-stakes placing with a third-place finish in the Secretariat at Colonial Downs.
Casse will also be represented in the Tropical Park Derby field by Cash Is King LLC and D J Stable LLC’s Can Group, who won the Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland last year. The gelded son of Good Samaritan has been keeping good company this year without success. He is coming off a freshening since his eighth-place finish behind Cugino in the June 1 Audubon at Churchill.
Edwin Conzalez has the call on In a Jam while Hall of Famer John Velazquez has been named on Can Group.
Also entered in the Tropical Park Derby, which will co-headline an 11-race program with the $140,000 Tropical Park Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies: Reddam Racing LLC’s Live High Live Low. Gold Square LLC, Joseph Hardoon, and trainer Jose D’Angelo’s Full Nelson, Echo Papa Racing Corp.’s Freedom Principle, Donald Ming’s Ninja Star, Godolphin’s Palm Tree, Just for Fun Stable Inc.’s Brawn, R T Racing Stable and Nablam Los Cabal’s Fidelightcayuf, and Mark Grier’s Inveigled. Anthony Roger’s Echo Lane and Korina Stable’s Il Siciliano are also-eligibles.
