Will Faves Cancel Each Other in Jefferson Cup?

Once contested as a Grade II at nine furlongs during the spring meeting, the GIII Jefferson Cup was moved to this ‘homecoming’ meet, is now staged at a mile and presents one of the final chances for 3-year-olds to take on their peers at the graded-stakes level on the grass. 

Terry Hamilton’s Heart to Heart (English Channel) was a maiden winner in five starts for trainer Mike Stidham, but has recorded two victories since switching to the sneaky Brian Lynch barn earlier this season. The bay defeated subsequent GIII Iowa Derby hero Jessica’s Star (Magna Graduate) going a mile over the Keeneland turf Apr. 9 before finishing unplaced in the May 25 Marine S. and July 6 Queen’s Plate on Woodbine Poly. A pacesetting third in the Toronto Cup back on the grass two weeks later, Heart to Heart was bet hard in the Aug. 20 Better Talk Now S. at Saratoga, and, despite the presence of other speed, took them gate to wire to score by three lengths. 

Drawn just to his outside, Speightsland (Speightstown) could prove the fly in the ointment. The son of GISW Pool Land (Silver Deputy) attended a strong pace, but missed by a nose in the July 5 Charlie Barley S. in his turf debut at Woodbine and most recently took them all the way in an Aug. 1 allowance at the Toronto-area oval.

If those two run each other into submission, Stormy Pacific (Stormy Atlantic) looms an interesting upsetter while trying the grass and two turns for the first time. A maiden winner over the Tampa main at second asking in February, he cleared his first allowance condition over the Arlington Poly May 3 and was a running on second in the Aug. 16 Straight Line S. last time out. By a noted turf sire, Stormy Pacific is out of Classic Neel (El Corredor), a stakes winner and Grade III placed on the surface. She is also the dam of this gelding’s full-brother, the undefeated top Canadian juvenile Conquest Tsunami.