Bernard Dunham-owned and trained Anaita became a new stakes winner for LEA on Friday with a victory in the Lebanon Valley Stakes at Penn National.
Looking for her third consecutive victory, Anaita raced in midpack throughout much of the running of the five-furlong turf race in a close field of horses. The mare spent much of the early run racing up the outside but was angled into the two path for the journey into the turn.
That set her up to make her move as they entered the final quarter as she set her sight on the leaders. She closed in with every stride in the stretch to pass every horse in the field in the final furlong and win by 1 ½ lengths in the end.
Bred by Deann and Greg Baer, Anaita has now won 10 of her 29 starts with 12 other top three finishes – including finishing in the top three in eight of 11 runs this year.
Anaita is one of two winners out of a half-sister to the stakes winning Colonel Rutledge and stakes placed Rutledge in addition to the dam of stakes winning Jungle Runner.
LEA’s cumulative 74.32% winners to runners percentage is the best of any sixth crop sire with the stallion also siring 10.38% blacktype performers to runners as well.