Lieutenant Dan Fends Off Challengers in Eddie D

The return of Santa Anita Park's iconic downhill turf course brought much anticipation heading into the Oct. 1 $200,000 Eddie D Stakes (G2T). Sprint racing down the hill had been suspended in April 2019 in the wake of a spike of horse fatalities at Santa Anita.

"Our fans, horsemen, and Eddie Delahoussaye himself have told us they'd love to see a return to racing down the European-style course which has been unique to Santa Anita for more than six decades," The Stronach Group chief operating officer Aidan Butler told the LA Times Sept. 8.

Lieutenant Dan , the only California-bred in the Eddie D, proved he belonged amongst the best turf sprinters in the world in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) after his decisive score against a salty field of graded stakes winners.

Sent to post as the 2-1 favorite, Lieutenant Dan blasted from the barrier and quickly joined into wild scramble for the lead. The 5-year-old gelding sped down the hill three wide abreast with Law Abidin Citizen  past a first quarter in :21.61 with the mare Charmaine's Mia  clinging to a narrow advantage on the inside. After picking up the tempo through a :42.95 half-mile, Lieutenant Dan surged to take command as the field crossed over the dirt turning for home. He opened up two lengths on a tiring Charmaine's Mia and strode to the wire as Kentucky shipper Snapper Sinclair , who had one horse beaten at the top of the lane, launched a powerful rally from the back of the pack. Jockey Geovanni Franco kept Lieutenant Dan to the task at hand and the son of Grazen  held the closing Snapper Sinclair safe by a half-length at the finish. The 36-1 longshot Chaos Theory  was only a neck behind Snapper Sinclair in third, with Gregorian Chant  another half-length back in fourth.

Lieutenant Dan stopped the timer in 1.11.74 over a lightning fast turf course. He paid $7.00 for the win.

“He’s a pretty fast horse and he’s very versatile," said Franco. "All in all, he was the one taking me through the trip. At the end of the race he kept on going. I heard some noises of people coming but he never slowed down or waited for anybody.

“It was a great feeling to ride the hill again; it is definitely different than any other race or surface. You have a lot of fun out there, especially when you have a horse like this one.”

The gelding, who's success as a racehorse was "unexpected" according to owner/breeder Nick Alexander, was a three-time stakes winner against state-breds before trainer Nick Miyadi rolled the dice and entered the bay against open company in a July 23 Del Mar allowance optional claimer. Lieutenant Dan rolled to victory that day and subsequently added graded stakes winner to his résumé with a 2 1/4 length tally in the Green Flash Handicap (G3T).

"I think he was the seventh or eighth foal out of the mare (Excusabull), and the first six did nothing so, we had very low expectations for this horse and he just continues to succeed them," said Alexander after the Eddie D. "He just loves to win."

While the American Pharoah (G1) and Chandelier (G2) stakes on the Oct. 1 card are "Win and You're In" races for the Breeders' Cup, the Eddie D is not, meaning Alexander would need to supplement Lieutenant Dan into the Breeders' Cup in order to compete. Alexander wasn't fazed by the $100,000 supplemental fee after his runner's performance and indicated a start in the Turf Sprint (G1T) would be in the books for the California-bred sprint star.

"He just earned the amount to (supplement)," said Alexander. "It is $100,000. If he comes out of this race in one piece, that's our next goal."

Video: Eddie D S. (G2T)