DEL MAR, Calif. (July 27, 2019) — Lieutenant Dan put away odds-on favorite Cruel Intention in midstretch and pulled away late to win Saturday’s $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for Golden State Series eligible 3-year-olds at Del Mar.
“We were going a little fast in the beginning, but he was comfortable and good horses can do that,” said winning jockey Drayden Van Dyke. “The key with him is to get him to switch leads properly. I was on him for his most recent work and we were working on that (changing of leads). Today he did it perfectly.”
Lieutenant Dan is by Grazen, out of the Indian Charlie mare Excusabull, was bred by owner Nick Alexander and is trained by Steve Miyadi.
“The turf to dirt (switch) was because that’s the Golden State series, we have no choice,” said Miyadi. “The cutback (in distance) meant that I didn’t have to train him as hard and I’m always worried about his weight, so that was a blessing in disguise. We trained him lightly, had one good workout eight or nine days ago, and here we are. We’ll take it. He’ll stay in the Golden State series and probably come back here in the fall for the Cary Grant.”
Lieutenant Dan has four wins in nine starts, earnings of $304,020 and was coming off a third in the June 22 Snow Chief.
He ran the seven furlongs in 1:23.67 and won by three lengths at odds of 2-1 in the field of five. Longshot Oliver was second and Cruel Intention third.