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  • Chapel Royal sire of Mr Rodriguez 1st Mdn (May 24, 2nd BEL). Owner, Imperio, Michael and Loftus, Elizabeth; Breeder, Jill Imperio & Daniella Corian...
  • Smoke Glacken sire of Walker Bay 1st Alw (May 24, 8th CD). Owner, Hammersmith, Dennis L. and Paden Racing, Inc.; Breeder, Brian O'Rourke & Derry Meeting Farm...
  • First Samurai sire of Nakano 1st Alw (May 24, 8th CRC). Owner, Thoroughbred Futures Racing; Breeder, Hubert Vester...
  • Canadian Frontier sire of Golden Frontier 1st Alw (May 24, 3rd CD). Owner, George Fister; Breeder, Brereton C. Jones...
  • Arch sire of Wiki 1st Alw (May 24, 2nd PID). Owner, Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc.; Breeder, Stuart S. Janney, III LLC....
  • Benchmark sire of Planet Sunshine 1st Alw (May 24, 5th GG). Owner, Thomas A. Shapiro; Breeder, Thomas Shapiro...
  • B L's Appeal sire of B L's Tsumani 1st Alw (May 24, 7th PRM). Owner, Gary Spragg; Breeder, Frank Bertolino...
  • Holy Bull sire of Catalan 1st Alw (May 24, 8th BEL). Owner, Elizabeth Loftus; Breeder, B. P. Walden & Dr. S. Marcum...
  • Latent Heat sire of Heated Troubles 1st Mdn (May 24, 5th RD). Owner, Ashleigh Stud; Breeder, Ashleigh Stud, Frank Ramos & JackieRamos...
  • Successful Appeal sire of Warning Song 1st Alw (May 24, 6th PRM). Owner, Maggi Moss; Breeder, Bloodstock Holdings LLC...
  • Wando sire of Deb's Girly Girl 1st Alw (May 24, 6th RD). Owner, Deborah F. Metz; Breeder, Deborah F. Metz...
  • Tribal Rule sire of Italian Rules 1st Alw (May 24, 7th BHP). Owner, Barber, Gary and Cecil; Breeder, Nick Cafarchia...
  • Flower Alley sire of Bouquet Booth 1st Alw (May 24, 7th CD). Owner, Right Time Racing LLC; Breeder, Brookdale & Dr. Ted Folkerth...
  • Tapit sire of Quail Hollow 1st Alw (May 24, 8th CT). Owner, Stevark Stable, Inc.; Breeder, Dr. O. M. Patrick...

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Quality Road the one to beat in Donn

Posted: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 5:26 PM

Photo: Quality Road will be the likely post-time favorite in Saturday's Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

QUALITY ROAD WINNING THE 2010 HAL'S HOPE STAKES (G3)

Coglianese Photos

by Mike Curry

Quality Road’s three-year-old campaign was derailed approaching the 2009 U.S. classics by quarter cracks, which probably cost him a legitimate shot at the Eclipse Award.

The Elusive Quality colt can position himself among the early leaders of the older male division on Saturday when he faces nine challengers in the $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for owner-breeder Edward P. Evans, Quality Road was scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) when he was unruly in the starting gate and suffered superficial scrapes. But he returned with a powerful performance in the Hal’s Hope Stakes (G3), winning by a comfortable 2 3/4 lengths on January 3 at Gulfstream (video).

A Donn victory would solidify Quality Road’s status as a force to be reckoned with in the older male division, which also includes returning champion Gio Ponti.
 
Quality Road has run consistently fast during his eight previous races, setting two track records as a three-year-old and never finishing off the board. He set a 1 1/8-mile track record with a victory in the Florida Derby Presented by BlackBerry (G1) in 1:47.72 last March and was considered a leading contender for the 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) before being sidetracked by quarter cracks.

He reconfirmed his class with a record-setting victory in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) on August 3 at Saratoga Race Course in his first start in more than four months (video). Quality Road blistered through 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.74 for his third graded stakes victory of the year. He finished third in the Shadwell Travers Stakes (G1) and second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) in his final two starts of the year.

Quality Road will be challenged in the 1 1/8-mile Donn by the top four finishers from the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G3) on January 10 at Gulfstream as well as Hal’s Hope runner-up You and I Forever.

Duke of Mischief, a four-year-old Graeme Hall colt, nailed down his first graded stakes triumph with a neck victory over Kiss the Kid in the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (video). The 2009 Iowa Derby winner has four wins from ten starts for trainer David Fawkes.

The Donn also drew Kiss the Kid, Mambo Meister, and Dry Martini, the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers, respectively, in the Ft. Lauderdale.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor

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