Tough Decisions!

Donegal has a designer problem. Which stakes race to run in. Knowing you all want to make travel plans (so do we!) we have pulled the trigger as follows:

CLEBURNE: Cleburne will run this Saturday in the Ohio Derby where we will (unfairly) be required to carry eight more pounds than almost anyone else. Cleburne will be attempting to fire from the back of the field as he did in winning the Iroquois last fall.

IRISH YOU WELL: Hugely tempting to run Irish in the short/weak fields of either the West Virginia Derby or the Jim Dandy.  That being said, Wayne Catalano wants to run him in the Haskell where he will have home court advantage.  Added to that is the availability of talented Jose Lezcano to ride. So we will go to the Haskell and let IRISH "be all he can be."  The upside is profound.

FINNEGAN'S WAKE: FW will skip the Arlington Million and instead go to the Grade II $200,000 stake at Woodbine on the same day. The Million (where Finn finished a strong fourth last year) figures to be the toughest race of the year and we would love to put Finn in a race with a better chance of success.

O'PRADO OLE: OPO will be pointed to the 1.25 mile Grade I, $500,000 Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Sunday, August 17 (the day after the Arlington Million).  If the race is too tough we will consider an allowance race at Saratoga or other stakes. We will skip the St. Ledger at Arlington on Million Day as that race is 1.75 miles long and designed for the Euros and too much to ask of Ole at this time.

When I say a lot of hard work, thought and debate went into these decisions, I'm not kidding!

Look for DDVI to have it's first runners in the very near future. There are Maiden races at Ellis on July 26 and August 1 that are possible. I expect Danny Boy and La Macchina to be the first runners.

Let us know which races you will be attending!

Jerry