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Quality Road one to beat in Donn Handicap

Wed 3rd, February 2010

Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Quality Road, 2009 Florida Derby winner, heads a field of 10 for Saturday's $500,000 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/8 mile race is the track's top event for older horses.

The four-year-old Quality Road made a successful return to the races on Gulfstream's opening day last month by winning the $100,000 Hal's Hope Stakes with regular rider John Velazquez.

"It was a good race," trainer Todd Pletcher said after the victory. "He likes the Gulfstream track and we'll point him now for the Donn. Then he might get a little break and point for the big races in summer and fall."

In Saturday's race the colt will start from post four with Velazquez in the saddle. Quality Road is owned by Edward Evans for whom he has won five of eight lifetime starts with earnings of better than $1 million.

Last year along with the Florida Derby, Quality Road won the Fountain of Youth Stakes. After missing the Kentucky Derby with an injury the colt came back in August at Saratoga where he won the Amsterdam and finished third to Summer Bird in the Travers.

He again lost to Summer Bird in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in October when he was runner-up. Quality Road had to be scratched from the Breeders' Cup Classic last November when he refused to be loaded into the starting gate.

Finishing second in the Hal's Hope Stakes was You and I Forever. The five- year-old will break from post two in the Donn with Elvis Trujillo riding.

Trained by Marty Wolfson for owner Edmund Gann, You and I Forever is the winner of three of 15 career starts for $254,652. In 2009 his best finish in a stakes race came in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park when he was second to Chirac.

Here is the complete field for the Donn Handicap in post position order: Kiss the Kid, Eddie Castro; You and I Forever, Elvis Trujillo; Duke of Mischief, Eibar Coa; Quality Road, John Velazquez; Dry Martini, Javier Castellano; Past the Point, Edgar Prado; Helsinki, Robby Albarado; Mambo Meister, Kent Desormeaux; Dubai Gold, Jose Lezcano and Delightful Kiss, Juan Leyva.

The Donn Handicap has a scheduled post-time of 5:45 P.M. (et).