Fair Grounds: Heitai outguns Delaunay in Kenner

Heitai showed flashes of talent during the early period of his career in 2013. But nothing like this. Taking advantage of an inside-speed favoring main track on Saturday at Fair Grounds, Heitai took the fight to high-class sprinter Delaunay from the start of the $100,000 Duncan Kenner Stakes and won the six-furlong race by five lengths.

It was the fourth win in a row and fifth in six races since Karl Broberg began training Heitai, a Louisiana-bred son of Fusaichi Pegasus bred and owned by Rowell Enterprises. Nov. 23, Heitai ran off and fell apart late in a two-turn race at Delta Downs, but he has won his other five starts during his time in the Broberg barn by nearly 40 combined lengths now.

Delaunay, who won the Kenner last year and was coming off a convincing comeback victory last month at Fair Grounds, easily outbroke rail-drawn Heitai.

“He’s a horrible gate horse and I thought we lost it at the break,” said Broberg.

But whatever Heitai ($6.60) lacks in gate acumen, he makes up for with the early speed of a Quarter Horse. It took Heitai and jockey Diego Saenz only a few strides to come inside Delaunay and take the lead, and though Heitai set a pace as fast as one will ever see at Fair Grounds – a quarter mile in 21.29 seconds, a half in 44.12 – he was doing so over a surface that has been kind to speed all week, and especially so in recent days. Delaunay chased and chased but could never bridge the gap, and by the eighth pole, the Kenner had basically been decided.

Heitai, a 4-year-old gelding, stopped the timer in a 1:09.68 for six furlongs on a fast track. Delaunay never gave up and ran on to hold second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Lemon Drop Dream. Countercyclical was fourth and Silver Lining John was fifth. Bet Seattle was scratched.