Luck of the Draw, Or Lack Thereof, Has Lea in Donn

by Alan Carasso
   Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Lea (First Samurai) has made seven of his 11 career starts on the turf, a surface over which he has never finished worse than third and includes a victory in the GIII Commonwealth Turf S. at three in 2012. He even tried Horse of the Year Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry) on a couple of occasions last season, finishing two lengths second in the GII Firecracker H. and third in the GII Fourstardave H. But the homebred is something other than an abject failure on the dirt, having posted two wins from four tries, including a 3 1/4-length score in the GIII Hal's Hope S. Jan. 11. Lea faces a steep hike in class and a formidable foe in the form of Eclipse Award winner Will Take Charge(Unbridled's Song) in Sunday's GI Donn H., but it is a chance connections are more than willing to take. 
   “We're excited to run Lea,” said Claiborne Farm President Walker Hancock, son of farm owner Seth Hancock. “He's a personal favorite of mine. He's training very well and Bill [Mott] is very pleased with him and we're looking forward to Sunday.” 
   Lea made the first 10 starts of his career for trainer Al Stall Jr., winning three of five tries at three, capped by the Commonwealth success. He was an allowance winner in five trips postward in a somewhat frustrating 4-year-old season in 2013 and was having his first run for trainer Bill Mott in the Hal's Hope. 
   “We gave him last winter off [2012 into 2013), but he only won one race last year, so he really didn't give himself the right opportunity to have this winter off,” Hancock explained. “We gave him to Bill because we just thought there are more options at Gulfstream. This is to take nothing away from Al. Lea is where he is today because of Al Stall. But we thought he'd do a little better at Gulfstream than he would do at the Fair Grounds, so we decided to send him to Bill. We're obviously pleased with him at Gulfstream–he's one for one–so, it looks like it's working out well.” 
   Given his apparent preference for turf, Lea was entered for the El Prado S. Dec. 28, but was scratched when he drew the 14 hole. 
   “They start right there on the turn going a mile on the turf, so we thought that's not a good idea,” Hancock related. “Then we were going to run him in the turf race on Hal's Hope day [GII Fort Lauderdale S.]. We were thinking about both races, and I was talking to Bill and he said, 'You know, I was looking at his numbers and his charts and he's actually run better numbers on the dirt. He had never run on a fast dirt.” Indeed, Lea's lone victory in 2013 was an off-turf allowance score in the Churchill slop June 1. “We thought we're more than likely going to draw fast dirt at Gulfstream this time of the year, so let's see how he does over it and it'll give us a good indicator for the rest of the year. Luckily it seemed like he liked it, so that's the direction we're going to go for now. If he doesn't draw the 14 in the El Prado, we might not be having this conversation. Everything happens for a reason.” 
   Though his sire was best on the dirt and is responsible for the likes of MGSW Last Gunfighter, Lea's dam Greenery (Galileo {Ire}) was a two-time winner and twice stakes placed on the grass–at 11 furlongs, no less–for trainer Christophe Clement. Lea is her first foal, and Hancock is confident that the 5-year-old will handle this stretchout to nine furlongs. 
   “He's got Galileo on the bottom, so that will definitely help him out with the distance,” Hancock stated. “I'm confident he can get a mile and an eighth.” 
   Luis Saez was aboard Lea in the Hal's Hope, but he will back aboard Will Take Charge for the Donn. Joel Rosario, who broke Lea's maiden and won an allowance on him at Saratoga, takes over at the controls.