Don Six wire to wire

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Scott Lake's pre-race proclamation that Don Six could win the Breeders' Cup Sprint may not be so far-fetched after all.

While the $82,700 in January is a long way from the Sprint in October, Don Six served notice that he is developing into one of the better sprinters on the East Coast with an easy win in the 97th Paumonok at Aqueduct.

Breaking from the rail under Aaron Gryder, Don Six outsprinted several other speed horses, rattling off fractions of 22.13 seconds, 44.86, and 56.50 and running away to a 2 3/4-length win. Gators N Bears chased Don Six around the track to be second, 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Mr. Whitestone.

Don Six, a 5-year-old son of Wild Escapade, covered the six furlongs in 1:08.86, equaling the stakes record of 1:08 4/5 set by Duck Dance in 1972. Don Six returned $8.40 as the third choice.

"In the first half-mile I was sitting against him pretty hard, and there were some quick horses in there, and to have a clear lead like he did, and doing it as easily as he did, was pretty impressive," Gryder said.

Lake, who won three races on Saturday's card, took over the training of Don Six in early December, after the horse finished eighth in the Fall Highweight Handicap. Don Six promptly won the Grade 3 Gravesend Handicap, running six furlongs in 1:08.97.

"I said before the race that, if he stays healthy, he is going to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint," Lake said from Southern California, where he saddled Shake You Down in the Sunshine Millions Sprint. "He is so good; he is just freakish. He's sharp and a lot stronger than when we got him."

* On Saturday morning, Galloping Grocer worked five furlongs in 1:00.84 over Belmont Park's training track. Galloping Grocer, runner-up in the Remsen, is prepping for the Whirlaway Stakes on Feb. 12.