Lieutenant Dan, runner-up in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, punched his ticket for the 2022 renewal in his first start since, successfully defending his title in the GIII Green Flash H. Sunday at Del Mar.

A winner of two California-bred stakes in 2019, the gelding added a third in the Sensational Star S. in March of 2020, then headed to the bench for over 13 months following a runner-up effort in the Crystal Water S. Returning with a local allowance/optional claiming success last July, he repeated in the Green Flash and added a score in the GII Eddie D S. at Santa Anita before running second to Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) over this course in the Breeders' Cup.

Backed to odds-on here, Lieutenant Dan found a perfect spot in third at the rail, drafting behind second choice Dubai Key (Arg) (Key Deputy) as that rival clicked off a :21.77 quarter. Well held by Juan Hernandez on the turn, the chalk found an inside seam straightening for home as Dubai Key came off the fence, swept to the front at the eighth pole and kicked clear under hands and heels for the victory. Lane Way won a photo for the place.

Pedigree Notes:

One of 16 stakes winners and four graded stakes winners for stalwart California sire Grazen, Lieutenant Dan is the lone black-type performer from eight foals to race thus far out of his stakes-winning dam. He has a yearling full-brother named Butch O'Hare.

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The business meeting begins at 4 pm., the cocktail reception at 5 p.m. and the awards dinner at 6 p.m.

Other Cal-bred champions to be recognized at the banquet:

Champion California-bred 2-Year-Old Male – Finneus

Champion California-bred 2-Year-Old Female – At the Spa (Outwork)

Champion California-bred 3-Year-Old Male – The Chosen Vron

Champion California-bred 3-Year-Old Female – Closing Remarks (Vronsky)

Champion California-bred Older Male – Lieutenant Dan

Champion California-bred Older Female – Warren's Showtime (Clubhouse Ride)

Champion California-bred Sprinter – Lieutenant Dan

Champion California-bred Turf Horse – Lieutenant Dan

Champion Sire of California Conceived Foals by Earnings – Grazen

Champion Sire of California Conceived Foals by Number of Winners – Grazen

Champion Sire of California Conceived Foals by Turf Earnings – Square Eddie

Champion Sire of California Conceived Two-Year-Olds by Earnings – Stay Thirsty

Trainer of the Year – Andy Mathis

Broodmare of the Year – My Fiona (Ghostzapper)

Champion Breeder of California Foaled Thoroughbreds by Earnings – Terry Lovingier

CTBA Hall of Fame – Dr. Ed Allred, Cee's Tizzy, Indian Charlie

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Owned and bred by Nick Alexander, Lieutenant Dan sat a close third early to pacesetter Charmaine's Mia, who was pressed to her immediate outside by Law Abidin Citizen.  Hand-ridden over the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch, Lieutenant Dan cruised to the lead and was never seriously challenged through the lane.

Off as the 5-2 favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds and up, Lieutenant Dan, who notched his third consecutive victory today, paid $7.00, $3.80 and $3.20. The 5-year-old gelding by Alexander's stallion Grazen has now won eight of 16 career starts.

“It was so unexpected,” said Alexander of the horse's growing resume. “I think he was the seventh or eighth foal out of the mare (Excusabull), and the first seven did nothing so, we had very low expectations for this horse and he just continues to exceed them. He just loves to win.

“I love that turf course,” Alexander added. “We have always excelled on it and Grazen babies just seem to love that distance and that downhill. It is so beautiful.”

“He's a pretty fast horse and he's very versatile,” said Franco. “He broke sharp like he always does and put me in a nice spot where if they were going too slow, I could have gone and if they were going too fast, I could have sat back.

“All in all, he was the one taking me through the trip. At the end of the race he kept on going. I heard some noises of people coming but he never slowed down or waited for anybody.

“It was a great feeling to ride the hill again, it is definitely different than any other race or surface,” added Franco. “You have a lot of fun out there, especially when you have a horse like this one.”

Highly accomplished Snapper Sinclair, who shipped in from Churchill Downs for Steve Asmussen, kept to his task from off the pace and finished second in a solid effort, finishing a neck in front of the Bob Hess, Jr. Chaos Theory.  Off as the 7-2 second choice, he paid $4.40 and $3.20.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Chaos Theory was off at 36-1 and paid $10.80 to show while finishing a half length better than a late closing Gregorian Chant.

Fractions on the race were 21.61, 42.95 and 1:05.66.

The Eddie D is named for legendary retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

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The 5-year-old gelding by Alexander's prime stallion, Grazen, shook off pressure early, then cleared late to finish 2 1/4 lengths best in the dash for 3-year-olds and up. He picked up a check for $60,000 for the win and pushed his bankroll to $543,740.

Geovanni Franco rode the winner for trainer Steve Miyadi.

Finishing second was Hogan or Hogan's Give Me the Lute, a neck in front of Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable and Nentwig's Gregorian Chant.

Lieutenant Dan paid $6.00, $3.40 and $2.60.  Give Me the Lure returned $7.40 and $4.80 and Gregorian Chant paid $3.60 to show.

Post-race quotes:

GEOVANNI FRANCO (Lieutenant Dan, winner) – “No special instructions for me; I know this horse well. Since he's come back from his layoff (was away from June 2020 to July 2021), he's more puffed up. He's acting like a bully. He's doing good now. When I made the lead in the straight, I wasn't worried about the others behind me coming to get us. But I wasn't going to wait for them either.”

STEVE MIYADI (Lieutenant Dan, winner) – “In this day and age you're always worried about the bounce. I didn't train him particularly hard for (a win here July 23), because I was thinking about this race and I was pleasantly surprised at how well he ran. That's when you worry about the bounce. He overcame my training.”

FRACTIONS:  :22.16  :44.52  :55.98

The stakes win was the first of the meet for rider Franco and his first in the Green Flash. He now has four stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Miyadi and his first in the Green Flash. He now has four stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owner and breeders is Nick Alexander of Santa Ynez and Del Mar, Calif.

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The Green Flash, a five-furlong sprint over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, is the last of seven graded stakes presented during the three-day Pacific Classic weekend with combined purses totaling $1.95 million.

Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old English-bred gelding, took a three-race winning streak at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., to Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 5 and, after being forwardly-placed early in the six-furlong turf sprint, tired and finished seventh of nine.

“I don't think it was as much the (listed 'good') turf as the tactics,” trainer Phil D'Amato said. “He likes to come from off the pace and we wound up dueling with the co-favorite on the lead.”

Brought back to the West Coast and given a break, Gregorian Chant has had five turf works here since the July 16 start of the meeting.

“We freshened him up with this race in mind,” D'Amato said. “We'll see if the distance is good for him for the Breeders' Cup.”

The $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint will be run over the same course on Saturday, November 6.

The field for the Green Flash from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Kneedeepinsnow (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Texas Wedge (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Lieutenant Dan (Giovanni Franco, 7-2); Collusion Illusion (Flavien Prat, 7-2); Chasin Munny (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1); Little Juanito (Ricky Gonzalez, 6-1); Give Me the Lute (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), and Gregorian Chant (Juan Hernandez).

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