Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint runner-up Lieutenant Dan back in training

ARCADIA, Calif. – Lieutenant Dan, second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar last November and recently recognized as the 2021 California-bred horse of the year, has resumed training.

Owner and breeder Nick Alexander said Lieutenant Dan is nearing his first official workout of the year for trainer Steve Miyadi.

“He’s breezed a furlong and a few quarter-miles,” Alexander said Saturday at Santa Anita.

Older horses typically are given workout times at distances of three furlongs or more.

A 6-year-old gelding, Lieutenant Dan won 3 of 4 starts last year, including two stakes – the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar in August and the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita in October. In the BC Turf Sprint, Lieutenant Dan was second throughout as the 9-2 second choice and finished 1 1/4 lengths behind race favorite Golden Pal.

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Last year, Alexander paid a $100,000 supplemental fee to make Lieutenant Dan eligible to the Breeders’ Cup program for the remainder of his career. In the BC Turf Sprint, Lieutenant Dan earned $170,000. Lieutenant Dan has won 8 of 17 starts and earned $833,740.

Lieutenant Dan is expected to resume racing this summer.

Alexander won two allowance races in a span of 16 minutes on Saturday, when Connie Swingle won on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita and Becca Taylor won on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields.

Connie Swingle, trained by Phil D’Amato, is a full sister to Alexander’s retired S Y Sky, a five-time stakes winner who earned $709,540. Saturday’s allowance race was Connie Swingle’s turf debut.

“We wondered if she’d like the turf and certainly she did,” Alexander said.

S Y Sky won two stakes on turf.

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Alexander has two hopefuls for the $150,000 Melair Stakes for statebred 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on May 28 at Santa Anita with Rose Dawson and Rose Maddox.

Rose Dawson, trained by D’Amato, is unbeaten in two starts, but has not raced since a win in the California Cup Oaks at a mile on turf in January. Rose Maddox, trained by Miyadi, won her second consecutive allowance race in a one-mile turf race on April 15.

The year has not been without a major setback for Alexander, who has a farm in Santa Ynez, Calif. Earlier this spring, Just Grazed Me, a four-time stakes winner who earned $506,332, died of complications after foaling a filly by Brody’s Cause, Alexander said.

The Brody’s Cause filly was placed with a surrogate mare, Alexander said.