There is one horse in particular that I really want to see win the Breeders’ Cup Mile this year, and that horse is Heart to Heart. This is by no means any easy spot for any horse to win in, but I think he has a shot to shock the field and finally claim his first Grade 1 win.
Heart to Heart is the type of horse that you can’t help but love. He is an athlete that you can depend on. Even when he doesn’t win he still gives his all, and you can’t ask for more than that. The ever consistent horse has competed in stakes races at many different tracks, winning thirteen of his thirty-one starts and placing in eight of them. In brazen style, all of Heart to Heart’s wins have come when he goes to the lead and refuses to look back. Taking his competition on a wild ride and daring them to keep up is what this horse does, and it’s always a thrill to watch.
Heart to Heart was named for the heart shaped marking on his forehead, but his name ended up being a perfect match for his personality as well. The horse has the heart of a lion. When he’s in the stretch, he does not want to give up his lead to anyone. He has looked some very accomplished horses in the eye and given them a fight. If a rival wants to take victory away from Heart to Heart, he makes them earn it.
The Breeders Cup Mile will be the most arduous challenge Heart to Heart has ever faced. However, this gallant athlete could not be coming into this race any better. He looked like a monster in his last race, the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes, where he nearly captured his first Grade 1. Taking on thirteen rivals, Heart to Heart valorously led the fray around Keeneland’s turf course, keeping a mob of stampeding opponents in his wake as he attempted to take this race gate to wire. Knowing that the other horses would be coming for him, Heart to Heart swung into the stretch in a frenzy and hightailed it for home. Lengthening his stride he sprinted faster and faster, desperate and determined to pull this win off. The other horses began gaining on him but that didn’t scare him off. He pushed harder, giving it everything he had as he reached for that elusive wire. It looked like he might just have enough. It looked like he could hold on. But right as the finish line came, so did Suedois. The European horse nailed Heart to Heart right at the end. It was heartbreaking for me to see, but it didn’t break Heart to Heart. In fact, since then he has been training lights out, giving his connections the confidence to take on the best the world has to offer in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. After all, Heart to Heart proved in the Shadwell Turf Mile that he is Grade 1 quality. He does have what it takes to run with the best and I think his best is still yet to come. That coveted Grade 1 win may have been stolen from him before, but he still has a chance to win one. Claiming your first Grade 1 in a Breeders’ Cup event would be very fitting and very deserved for Heart to Heart. It will be a monstrous task, but what better time for an upset than the Breeders’ Cup, when you have the whole world watching? If anyone can pull off an upset in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Heart to Heart is the one to do it. It may be a formidable challenge, but it is not impossible.