Lieutenant Dan

Lieutenant Dan, a California-bred Grazen gelding, won his second career start, a six-furlong dirt sprint, on Jan. 13, 2019, at Santa Anita Park for owner Nicholas Alexander and trainer Steve Miyadi.

Four starts and one additional win later, Lieutenant Dan made his stakes debut April 6 in the listed Echo Eddie Stakes on dirt at Santa Anita and won the 6 ½-furlong race by 2 ¼ lengths. He then ran in four more stakes races over the course of the year, winning the Real Good Deal Stakes on July 27 at Del Mar and finishing third in the other three.

In 2020, the gelding continued his workmanlike career with three more stakes starts in a COVID-19-altered schedule. He won the Sensational Star Stakes in march at Santa Anita, this time on turf, and checked in second in the other two races.

Lieutenant Dan came back in 2021 midway through the summer better than ever, taking a July 23 allowance optional claiming race by 1 ½ lengths going five furlongs on turf at Del Mar. He then took a class hike and competed in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap on Aug. 22 at Del Mar. With Geovanni Franco in the irons, the gelding dueled for the early lead and powered clear to take the five furlong grass race by 2 ¼ lengths. Lieutenant Dan improved his career record to an impressive seven wins, three seconds, and four thirds from 15 starts with over $543,700 in earnings.

Coming off of his first graded stakes win, Lieutenant Dan shipped to Santa Anita to race in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes on the track’s Oct. 1 opening day card of its fall 2021 meet. With Franco aboard again, he sat a stalking trip in the 6 ½-furlong race on Santa Anita’s downhill turf course and took the lead in the stretch, holding off late-running Snapper Sinclair for a half-length victory.

Off that win, Lieutenant Dan went off at 4.50-1 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 6. He turned in a game performance, chasing victorious Golden Pal all the way around, and finished second, well clear of the rest of the field. 

Lieutenant Dan waited until Labor Day weekend to return to the races for the start of his 6-year-old campaign. Even with so much time between races, he was ready. Lieutenant Dan made his 2022 debut a winning one when he scored a victory in the Grade 3 $150,000 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar on Sept. 4. Lieutenant Dan topped a field of 10 by 1 1/4 lengths in the five-furlong turf sprint in a time of :55.87 as the 4-5 favorite. He paid $3.80 to win.