Unconquered Lea returns from brief freshening

After having a hard race when finishing second to next-out stakes winner Gufo in a March 27 allowance, Unconquered Lea was in need of a little freshening. Saturday, after two months away, Unconquered Lea returns against some familiar foes in a first-level allowance/optional $75,000 claiming turf race for 3-year-olds that serves as the feature on Gulfstream Park’s 11-race program.

Unconquered Lea, a son of Lea trained by Ben Perkins Jr., will square off in this 1 1/8-mile event against Mystic Lancelot and Bless the Kitten – horses that finished right behind him on March 27 – as well as the stakes-placed Our Country.

Unconquered Lea lost his first two starts, both on dirt, before being switched to the turf on Feb. 27 when he galloped to a front-running five-length victory at Gulfstream. In his first try against winners, Unconquered Lea stalked the pace from third, then got into a prolonged stretch tussle with Mystic Lancelot before getting run down at the wire by Gufo, who beat him a half-length. Gufo came back to win the English Channel Stakes for his third straight win.

“He tried really hard,” said Perkins, who trains Unconquered Lea for Brian Costello. “You could tell he had a tough race, so we thought it was a good time after four races right in a row to give him a month off and point him for the summer.”

Emisael Jaramillo will ride Unconquered Lea from post 7.

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Mystic Lancelot was beaten a length by Unconquered Lea on March 27, and came back to run second to Street Ready in this same condition going one mile here on April 19. Street Ready finished seventh in last Saturday’s War Chant Stakes.

Mystic Lancelot, trained by Todd Pletcher, is in for the $75,000 claiming price

Bless the Kitten, who was fourth in that March 27 race, also returns from a two-month layoff. In his last race, Bless the Kitten made a middle move to reach contention and then flattened out. Samy Camacho rides Bless the Kitten on Saturday.

Paco Lopez, aboard Bless the Kitten on March 27, will ride Our Country on Saturday. Our Country was stakes placed at 2 and finished third in this same condition at Tampa Bay Downs on April 1. Saturday, Our Country makes his first start as a gelding. He is trained by George Weaver and owned by Randy Hill and Gatsas Stable.

Weaver said Our Country had a history of getting nervous before his races and he and the owners felt gelding him would “make him a better racehorse.”

“If I end up regretting cutting him, that means he’s a Grade 1 winner and we can have him around for a while,” Weaver said.

Weaver likes the way Our Country has behaved in his training since he was gelded and he likes the idea of stretching him to 1 1/8 miles.

Express Pharoah was second to Unconquered Lea in a maiden race in February, and has since come back to win his maiden and then finished ninth with a troubled trip in the English Channel Stakes.

Cowtown, Talking, and Sunsation complete the field. Superfecto is entered to run only if the race is transferred to the main track.