Terry Hamilton’s Heart to Heart was a fan favorite during his 41-race career that included nine starts at Keeneland. His biggest victory here came in the 2018 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1).

On Friday, Silent Heart will attempt to join his sire as he goes postward in this year’s Maker’s Mark Mile.

“It would be great to win the same race his daddy did,” Heart to Heart’s trainer, Brian Lynch, said of Silent Heart, who is from the stallion’s first crop. “He has the same running style as Heart to Heart. He likes to be forwardly placed and has the same grit and determination.”

Hamilton bred Silent Heart and co-owns the 4-year-old colt with Koocanusa Ventures.

The Maker’s Mark Mile will mark the Grade 1 debut for Silent Heart, who comes into the race off a third-place finish in the Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park on March 1.

“He has been very competitive in his stakes in Florida and with a little more luck, he would have won one,” Lynch said. “He is doing very well.”

Early morning rain soaked the Keeneland grass course Thursday and with more rain in the forecast overnight, chances are the Maker’s Mark Mile will be contested over less than firm ground.

“That’s the question. He’s never had the opportunity (to run on soft ground),” Lynch said. “He’s not a big horse, so he might be able to skip over the top of it.”