Constitution Wires Donn Handicap Over Lea

The son of Tapit   broke sharply under Javier Castellano and set the pace of the 1 1/8-mile test under pressure from fellow Todd Pletcher trainee Commissioner before carrying on to secure the score by three-quarters of a length in 1:49.51 on a fast track.

 

Constitution won the 2014 Besilu Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream as part of an undefeated three-race win streak before he was sidelined with a hairline fracture in his right front cannon bone. He returned to competition Oct. 12 when fourth in an optional claimer at Belmont Park. The Donn was his first start of 2015 off a third-place finish in the Nov. 28 Clark Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill Downs.

 

"It's exciting to have him back," said WinStar president Elliott Walden. "They were smoking early on. Right now we're looking to maybe take him to (the March 28) Dubai (World Cup, UAE-I). That's been an objective, but we'll see how he comes out of this race."

 

"I think his first race back (off a 6 1/2-month layoff) was trainer error; I didn't have him quite tight enough and he stumbled at the start and was a little rank," Pletcher remarked. "I thought he ran really well in the Clark over a track that probably wasn't conducive to his running style. Coming back to Gulfstream on a track that he's perfect on, we were optimistic but it was a very good field with the last year's Donn winner (Lea) who had a very impressive prep over the track. We were excited about him and happy he ran to his training."

Off alertly and extremely keen to go on from post 1 in a field of nine, Constitution got an opening quarter in :23.31 before relaxing better to post splits of :47.29 for the half, and three-quarters in 1:11.18. Lea, the 6-5 favorite who had been tracking along third on the rail, shifted outside to make a run at the leader coming off the far turn, but could not close the gap in his second start of the season for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

 

"He ran well," Mott said. "We were inside and had to wait until the three sixteenths pole to come out. If he could have taken a run at that horse a little sooner maybe that would have changed it, but he ran well. We had three-sixteenths of a mile to catch him and I thought actually at the eighth pole it looked like we were going to get him but he just didn't do it."

 

Constitution returned $7.60, $3.60, and $2.80 at odds of 5-2, with Lea paying $2.80 and $2.40. Elnaawi brought $6.40 while 4 1/4 lengths back in third. Prayer for Relief, East Hall, Commissioner, Blue Tone, Catholic Cowboy, and Protonico completed the order of finish. European invader Sloane Avenue scratched after grabbing a quarter Feb. 6. 

 

Constitution's victory added to an excellent day for Pletcher, who won the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) with Mshawish, the Suwannee River (gr. IIIT) with Sandiva, and sent out the Withers Stakes (gr. III) winner, Far From Over, at Aqueduct Racetrack for an impressive score on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

 

"It was a great day, we were blessed," Pletcher said. "Last Sunday, when a lot of these horses worked, we thought we'd have a pretty strong hand coming in, and it worked out."

 

Bred by Grapestock LLC & Fox Hill Farms out of the Distorted Humor   mare Baffled, Constitution improved his record to four wins and a third from six career starts for earnings of $1,004,096, with all four victories earned at Gulfstream Park. He was a $400,000 purchase by Twin Creeks from the Vinery Sales consignment at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale.