RULES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 HO-LEA!

114 Beyer Speed Figure for flashy horse in Donn Handicap

As mentioned on THOROUGHBLOG  when he won the Hal’s Hope (Grade 3), LEA is starting to look a lot like the next CIGAR.
Here is a horse who spent a lot of time running on the grass and was an okay horse but when he hit a fast dirt for the first time, he won the Hal’s Hope.
Now, the horse has romped in the Donn, taking off from WILL TAKE CHARGE on the turn and skipping away to a track-record setting score for 1 1/8 miles, 1:46.86.

LEA, by First Samurai, who stands at owner Claiborne Farms in Kentucky, is the first foal of the mare  GREENERY, by Galileo.
LEA is inbred 5x4x4 to Northern Dancer.

Meanwhile, it was a very disappointing day for RIVER SEVEN, who was coming off his own track record run in the Harlan’s Holiday takes in December. He had trained well, looked like he had room to improve, but after stalking the pace, he stopped and was beaten 31 lengths.
Trainer Nick Gonzalez said after the race:

“We wanted to be forwardly placed in the race and we were. Jockey Joe Rocco said he got banged around a little in the first turn.  It just wasn’t River’s day. We had a good run; this horse has had a long season. He’s been going for a year almost without a rest, so he was a little out of sorts today.”

UNCAPTURED, the Canadian Horse of the Year in 2012, suddenly showed all kinds of speed, went to the lead and was pressure and he slipped back to 5th.

Race story from Gulfstream:
Nearly two decades ago, trainer Bill Mott won back-to-back Donn Handicaps with Cigar, who put his ordinary turf form behind him and became a main-track revelation. It’s too soon to tell whether Lea can attain those heights, but the 5-year-old put up a track-record setting performance under the lights at Gulfstream Park and denied champion Will Take Charge in today’s 59th running of the $500,000 Donn.             Sent off at 5-1, Lea broke alertly and settled into second as longshot Uncaptured made the early running. Lea took over after a half-mile in :47.21 and traveled strongly under Joel Rosario through the far turn. Will Take Charge had been trapped inside for most of the race, but shifted to the outside entering the stretch and set his sights on Lea. Rosario handled the 5-year-old confidently and hit the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front of the betting favorite. Lea, a son of First Samurai, stopped the clock in 1:46.86, besting the previous track mark of 1:47.49 established by Quality Road in the 2010 Donn.            

It was 9 1/4 lengths back to Viramundo in third.            

“I knew turning for home the kind of horse he is,” Rosario said. “He just never quit running, so I was very happy turning for home. I never worried about Will Take Charge coming from behind. It was all the horse. He did it so easy. The fact that he broke the track record doesn’t surprise me.”            

Previously based with trainer Al Stall Jr., Lea was transferred to Mott’s barn in November to pursue Gulfstream’s program for older horses. He scratched out of the El Prado Stakes in December after drawing a wide post on the turf course and took up an engagement in the $100,000 Hal’s Hope Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream on January 11. Lea scored by 3 1/4 lengths in that one-mile test under Luis Saez, and was reunited with Rosario for the first time since winning an allowance at Saratoga in 2012.            

“The horse that was on the lead wasn’t the one that I thought would be there, but it turned out the be the same type of trip that we thought we might be able to get,” Mott commented. “It’s always a different challenge when you move to the dirt. I felt he was capable, but the competition was stiff and we were in against a champion. We were good enough to beat him today.            

“I saw when (Will Take Charge) broke free and I knew he’d be running at us,” Mott added. “We were good enough to scoot away from him. It’s a long year and the big races are at the end of the year, and there’s a lot of good racing in between. Right now I’d love to point him for the Whitney at Saratoga.”            

Cigar swept the Donn in 1995 and 1996 as part of his 16-race winning streak.            

“If you’re going to win 14 in a row, you have to start with two,” Mott quipped when asked if Lea could match that achievement.            

Lea races in the colors of his breeders Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider.            

“Whenever you have a horse with Bill Mott, you know they’re going to run well,” co-owner Dell Hancock said. “For him to run like that–it’s exciting. (Bill) and Walker (Hancock) talked about it and said his numbers were really good on the dirt, so here we are. He’s a homebred and he’s the mare’s first foal, and First Samurai stands at the farm, of course.”            

Lea has now won six of 12 career starts, and the $300,000 winner’s share of the Donn purse took his bankroll to $709,618.            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GREAT STORY ON LOCHTE
The GULFSTREAM PARK TURF HANDICAP – GRADE 1 had a wild result as 39 to 1 shot LOCHTE posted the upset over top grass stars like Imagining and Amira’s Prince.

Not only was the result surprising since the 4yo had never been in any kind of stakes race and only just won for the 2nd time in his career in an allowance/optional claiming event, but he had never run an 90 Beyer Figure.
At one time, this gelding was a $475,000 yearling purchase. He is out of Lemon Kiss, a half sister to $800,000 earner Kiss the Kid. The 3rd dam is Hat Tab Girl, the dam of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner BLACK TIE AFFAIR.

With that rich pedigree, Lochte began his career in April of 2013  at Gulfstream for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and owner Darley Stable.
The gelding raced 5 times and had a second and two thirds in maiden races in New York.
He was gelded and then put in the FASIG TIPTON SARATOGA MIXED SALE ON OCTOBER 8 last year.
He brought a big of $60,000 from Carolyn Vogel owned of Crsossed Sabres Farm.
The gelding won his maiden in his 2nd race for Vogel and trainer Marcus Vitali, was third and then won his latest.
Oh yes, earlier in the afternoon, Vitali and jockey Orlando Bocachica won a race at Calder for $16,000 claiming before zipping down to Gulfstream.
Here are the sales results from when Lochte was sold last year:

http://www.fasigtipton.com/ci/results/view/2013/Saratoga-Fall-Mixed-And-HORA

 

LEA as a foal with GREENERY, his dam. DELL HANCOCK tweeted this photo from Claiborne

 

CANADIANS ELSEWHERE

Congratulations go out to trainer MIKE KEOGH and the PALMETTO RACING STABLE as the Ontario bred 5-year-old STEVIE LOVES WOMEN won his maiden at Fair Grounds on Sunday by 3 3/4 lengths. The son of Steveie Wonderboy – Fantastic Women by Henbane was bred bu Tony and Leslie Russo and Brereton Jones. It was the gelding’s 4th start of the meeting and his first race ever with blinkers on. He was dropping to $12,500 claiming from $25,000 and he was not claimed.
It was the first win for Keogh at the meeting.

HOTHERSAL, 4 to 5 in a $30,000 claiming race yesterday at Gulfstream, won and was claimed from owner/breeder Eugene Melnyk. The Ontario bred by Smart Strike was trained by Todd Pletcher. Jason Servis trains the handsome 6yo now.

 

CANADIANS SHOPPING AT FASIG TIPTON!

Danny Dion’s BEAR STABLES paid $140,000 for a short yearling by Harlan’s Holiday, the second highest price for a yearling at yesterday’s Fasig Tipton Winter sale. The Bear also bought the colt’s dam, in foal to TAKE OF THE CAT.

174     M     FLIRTING GLANCES     MARIA’S MON     MINGLING GLANCES     CHARLTON (MR. & MRS. RICK ABBOTT) AGENT FOR THE

ESTATE OF ANNE F. THORINGTON COMPLETE DISPERSAL        BEAR STABLES LTD     $110,000

175     C           HARLAN’S HOLIDAY     FLIRTING GLANCES     CHARLTON (MR. & MRS. RICK ABBOTT) AGENT FOR THE ESTATE OF ANNE F. THORINGTON COMPLETE DISPERSAL        BEAR STABLES LTD     $140,00

 

 

MAJOR MARVEL, KEN AND SARAH RAMSEY headed to Barbados

 

Multiple Eclipse Award winning owner, breeder and owner of the top sire Kitten’s Joy, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, are pointing MAJOR MARVEL, who has raced at Woodbine, to the Barbados Gold Cup in March at the Garrison Savannah. Trained by Mike Maker, Major Marvel recently won 7 races in succession.
The Gold Cup is 1 1/8 miles on grass and the race is expected to lure TRINIDADIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR, Big Man In Town, plus JAKESAM (Smoke Glacken) and English handicapper DASHING DAVID, by Lemon Drop Kid.

**Now, to get someone to fly me down there to cover it!

Nominees after 2nd payment

Aristodemus

Areutalkintome

Big Man in Town – Trinidad

Daga

Dashing David –

Discreet won

Indian Officer

Kendal Moon

Knight Rider

Jakesam

Major Marvel – USA

Nominee – Trinidad

Shared Adventure

 

 

WHOOOOOOSH! Did you see GROUPIE DOLL’S last race?