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Lea to defend Donn crown against Pletcher trio
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| Lea posted a 1 1/2-length
victory in the 2014 Donn
(Adam Coglianese Photo) |
Lea will go for his second straight win in Gulfstream Park's premier event
for older horses, the $500,000
Donn H. (G1),
on Saturday. The 1 1/8-mile event caps a blockbuster 13-race program at the
track.
Undefeated in three starts since joining the Bill Mott barn, Lea captured the
2014 editions of the Hal's Hope (G3) and Donn prior to being sidelined for the
remainder of the season.
"He had been sick. He had a virus and it was a case where he had done
enough," Mott said. "He was a Grade 1 winner, and he could have gone to the
breeding shed. They opted to give him this chance right here. I told them what
the condition of the horse was and how he was doing. They made the decision. I
told them step by step on a daily and weekly basis the condition of the horse
and where we were at with him. I guess I made it sound good enough to keep him
in training."
The six-year-old son of First Samurai returned from an 11-month layoff on
January 10 to repeat in the Hal's Hope over a mile, just getting up by a
half-length after shifting wide due to a lack of running room behind horses.
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"I'd say, he's probably coming into the Donn the same as he was last year,"
Mott said Wednesday morning. "He's coming off a good race and I'm happy with
him."
Mott has already trained a two-time Donn winner, the legendary Cigar (1995-96).
Pistols and Roses (1993-94) also won the Donn back-to-back, as did One-Eyed King
(1959-60) in the race's early years as a 1 1/2-mile turf event.
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| Constitution (white silks) is
three for three at Gulfstream (Adam
Coglianese Photo) |
Trainer Todd Pletcher will fire three guns at Lea. Constitution (Tapit), last
year's Florida Derby (G1) winner, was most recently third in the November 28
Clark H. (G1) where he flashed speed before fading. He is the likely pacesetter
from post 1.
"We thought about a race between the Clark and the Donn, but we just felt
that with two races under his belt and a little time between that the right move
was to go directly into the Donn," Pletcher said. "The horse has been training
really well. He certainly seemed to like Gulfstream last year."
Commissioner (A.P. Indy) has not yet won a stakes, but came close to wiring
the Belmont S. (G1) last June before losing the head bob to Tonalist (Tapit).
Sidelined after that race until January 10, he was third by a neck against
second-level allowance foes in his comeback.
Completing the Pletcher trio is Protonico (Giant's Causeway), who captured
the Discovery H. (G3) and Smarty Jones S. (G3) last fall before finishing a
half-length second in the Clark.
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Among those looking to pull an upset are East Hall (Graeme Hall), last year's
Indiana Derby (G2) winner and recent Sunshine Millions Classic runner-up;
Catholic Cowboy (Heatseeker), hero of the Claiming Crown Jewel and third in the
Sunshine Millions Classic; and multiple Grade 2 winner Prayer for Relief (Jump
Start), a half-length third in the Hal's Hope last time.
The field is rounded out by Elnaawi (Street Sense), 7 1/4-length winner of
the Native Dancer S. at Laurel last time; Grade 2-placed stakes winner Blue Tone
(Birdstone); and European invader Sloane Avenue (Candy Ride).
A dozen older horses will travel a mile in the $100,000
Fred W. Hooper
S. (G3) earlier in the card. The Hooper was formerly run at Calder.
Confrontation (War Pass), the Hal's Hope runner-up, might find his most
serious threat to be Race Day (Tapit), who cruised in a course-and-distance
allowance in December, which was his first start for Pletcher.
Other leading contenders include Grade 2 winner Valid (Medaglia d'Oro) and
the promising Mosler (War Front), who makes his dirt stakes debut for Mott.
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