King Kreesa can cap big meet for Donk

ELMONT, N.Y. – David Donk isn’t in any hurry to get to Saratoga.

Donk has enjoyed an extremely successful Belmont spring-summer meet, one he hopes continues Saturday when he sends out King Kreesa in the $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes. King Kreesa won this race last year in a field of six. This year, King Kreesa has to defeat only four opponents in the one-mile turf event.

King Kreesa, a 7-year-old New York-bred gelding by King Cugat, has not won since taking last year’s Forbidden Apple. Though he has lost his last six races, he’s run pretty well in most of them, with the possible exception of a 7 3/4-length defeat to Obviously in the Grade 3 Poker last month.

“If you would have told me Obviously was going to run that well last time, I don’t think anyone would have wanted to run against him,” Donk said. “I don’t have a lot of options with him, but he’s doing well. He came out of it well. It’s not like he got beat that far.”

King Kreesa does his best running on the lead and could be the controlling speed in the Forbidden Apple under Irad Ortiz Jr.

King Kreesa is one of three New York-breds entered in the Forbidden Apple. The others are Tapitation, who defeated King Kreesa in the Kingston on May 30, and multiple New York-bred turf champion Lubash.

Force the Pass, the 2015 Belmont Derby winner who finished second in the Poker, and Brickyard Kitten, an allowance winner at Parx last out, complete the field.

For Donk, the Forbidden Apple provides a chance to put a bow on a terrific meet, with 11 wins from 69 starters. The 11 wins tie a personal-best for a Belmont meet for Donk, who went 11 for 53 in 1998.

“It’s been very good, very productive,” Donk said. “For not having one of the big stables, to play in the major leagues, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Though he already has horses stabled at Saratoga, Donk isn’t looking past this weekend. Donk also hopes to win a maiden race Saturday with T R Crew, beaten a nose in his most recent start.

“I’m a big believer you got to make hay while the sun shines,” Donk said. “I’m not going to worry about the next meet until we get there.”

When he does get to Saratoga, Donk will be participating in the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on the July 22 opening-day card. He will send out Platinum Spark, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Hansen who won her debut by 1 1/2 lengths on June 12.

“She trained well going into that race, and she’s trained well since,” Donk said.