Donk getting turf sprinters ready for spring
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Siblings Thin White Duke and Yes and Yes are back on the work tab for trainer David Donk as they prepare for the upcoming turf season in New York.
The 5-year-old Thin White Duke, who won last year’s Lucky Coin Stakes at Saratoga, breezed three furlongs in 36.67 seconds on Thursday, his second breeze since rejoining Donk’s stable. The 7-year-old Yes and Yes breezed three furlongs in 36.49, his first breeze of the year.
Donk said both horses were turned out on a farm in upstate New York following their runs of 2022 and he hopes to get them started either next month at Aqueduct or during the 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet.
Thin White Duke “got good last summer and last fall,” Donk said. “Let’s see how good he is.”
Before his win in the Lucky Coin, Thin White Duke was beaten a neck by Golden Pal in the Grade 3 Troy at Saratoga.
Yes and Yes won three allowance races at the Belmont spring/summer meet before finding tough sledding in stakes company. He did finish third in the Belmont Turf Sprint here last October.
The Aqueduct spring condition book is out, and the first turf race is scheduled for April 7.
Meanwhile, Donk’s 3-year-old dirt colt Register worked a half-mile in 49.67 in preparation for a start in the $100,000 Private Terms Stakes on March 18 at Laurel.
Register won a one-mile maiden race by a nose here Feb. 18, a race for which he earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.
Donk said the Private Terms, run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns, will give him an idea of how far the horse wants to run.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.