Lea unlikely to start in Dubai World Cup

Lea, second as the 13-10 favorite in the Donn, probably will not be sent to Dubai next month for the $10 million Dubai World Cup, as had been speculated beforehand, according to Walker Hancock, president of Claiborne Farm, which co-owns the 6-year-old horse with Adele Dilschneider.

“We’re not saying it’s 100 percent no,” said Hancock. “If he’d won, maybe it would’ve been tougher to say no, although he did run a great race. Right now, I’d say we’ll just keep him [at Payson Park] and see what our options are a little farther down the road. There’s nothing for him in the next month, so we’re not in any rush in that regard.”

** Merry Meadow, the winner of the Sky Beauty and the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl in her last two starts, figures to be favored with Javier Castellano aboard against a field of filly-and-mare sprinters running Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Hurricane Bertie, the lone stakes of the coming weekend at Gulfstream.

The Saturday card also includes a $60,000 overnight handicap for filly-and-mare turfers, with I’m Already Sexy the likely favorite.

** Here are the known prospects at this early juncture for the Fountain of Youth, the Grade 2 race that highlights a monster card here Feb. 21: Ami’s Flatter, Bluegrass Singer, Frammento, Frosted, Gorgeous Bird, Itsaknockout, Keen Ice, Madefromlucky, and Upstart.

Eight stakes are scheduled for Feb. 21, including the Grade 2 Davona Dale and Grade 2 Mac Diarmida.