Lea headed for Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With a strong threat of rain midweek and the potential for a soft turf course this weekend, trainer Bill Mott called an audible Monday, electing to enter Lea in Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile instead of Saturday’s $2 million Mile on turf.

When Mott pre-entered Lea on Oct. 19, he listed the Mile as his first preference and the Dirt Mile as his second preference. But soft turf could compromise Lea’s chances in the Mile, Mott said, despite the fact that he finished second in the Woodbine Mile over a course labeled “yielding” last month.

“I think he gets over good ground, but if it actually turns up soft, I think it takes away our best chances,” Mott said.

Mott thought the turf was soft on Monday, when he worked Mile contender Tourist over the Keeneland turf course.

Lea is a multiple graded stakes winner on dirt. His victories include the Grade 1 Donn Handicap in 2014 and the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope – at a mile – in 2014 and 2015. Since taking over his training in 2014, Mott has run Lea seven times on dirt, including taking him to Dubai for the $10 million World Cup, where he finished third behind Prince Bishop and California Chrome.

On Monday, Lea worked four furlongs over the Keeneland main track in 47.82 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.72.

“He was doing it so easily,” Mott said. “I didn’t have a stopwatch. I would have thought he would have went in 49 or 50.”

Jose Lezcano will ride Lea in the Dirt Mile. Joel Rosario, who would have ridden Lea in the Mile, is committed to ride Red Vine in the Dirt Mile.

On Sunday, the Dirt Mile lost a major contender in Appealing Tale to an ankle injury. Appealing Tale was one of the major speed horses in the race, along with Liam’s Map. Now, horses like Mr. Z or Valid might be the ones to try to press Liam’s Map early on.

“I think what you have to look at is how many of those horses have shown speed going seven-eighths or a mile,” Mott said.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch