What a weekend! Trippi’s 3yo daughter R Heat Lightning wins a G2 by seven lengths at Gulfstream Park, the same track where 3yo colts Travelin Man and Gourmet Dinner have seconds in two other G2 races.
Seven-length win for Trippi’s daughter R Heat Lightning – G2 Davona Dale S.
Trainer Todd Pletcher was pleased with the performance of Travelin Man (Trippi—West Side Dancer, by Gone West), who is one of his 20 Triple Crown nominees.
“In a perfect world we would have liked to switch post positions with the winner, to be on the outside of the winner, but for just his second start and being out on the lead while going pretty fast (the opening quarter-mile was swift, 22.16 seconds, and the half a testing 44.83 seconds), I thought it was a big effort,” Pletcher said.
Pletcher went one better with R Heat Lightning, heroine of last term’s G1 Spinaway S. and runner-up in the G1 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies. The 3yo quickly erased the memory of her fourth-place finish behind Pomeroys Pistol and Dancinginherdreams in her seasonal debut in the Jan. 30 G2 Forward Gal S. with a tour de force here. Placed within striking distance in a close fourth through a half mile :46.53, the Robsham Stables homebred was guided through an inviting opening along the rail heading for home and turned in a devastating turn of foot in the stretch, drawing off to win for fun.
“She had a much smoother trip today”, trainer Todd Pletcher offered. “Last time she got bumped pretty hard at the start and never settled down in the backstretch. Today she had a clean trip, relaxed, and then went on with it. We’ll naturally consider the G2 Gulfstream Oaks here [Apr. 2]. But the main goal is the G1 Kentucky Oaks.”
Regular pilot John Velazquezwas in the irons. “She settled really well today”, he said. “Maybe she learned something from her last race when she was a little rank. We were between horses today, she relaxed, and when I asked her at the quarter pole she responded. It was a big difference from her last race.”
Gulfstream Park G2 DAVONA DALE Stakes. $250,000, GPX, Feb-26, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:36 1/5, ft.1–R HEAT LIGHTNING, 116, f, 3, by Trippi
1st Dam: Yellow Heat, by Gold Fever
2nd Dam: The Real Thing, by Capote
3rd Dam: Mime (Ire), by Cure the Blues
O/B-E Paul Robsham Stables LLC (FL); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-John R Velazquez; $150,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 7-3-3-0, $772,800.
2–Dancinginherdreams, 120, f, 3, Tapit–Mayan Milagra, by Menifee. ($40,000 yrl ’09 KEEJAN; $330,000 yrl ’09 KEESEP). O-John C Oxley; B-Nancy Shuford (KY); T-John T Ward, Jr; $50,000.
3–Pomeroys Pistol, 116, f, 3, Pomeroy–Prettyatthetable, by Point Given. ($22,000 RNA yrl ’09 OBSAUG). O/B-Hardacre Farm LLC (FL); T-Amy Tarrant; $25,000.
Margins: 7 1/4, HD, 6.
Also Ran: Oh Carole, Hot Summer, Evil Queen, Mending Hearts, Bellaridge.
