LEA’s Beealea became his sire’s newest stakes winner on Monday when the gelding won the Polar Expedition Handicap.
Racing over 15 lengths off the leader for much of the 1 1/16-mile dirt race, he didn’t make any serious moves until the field was well into the turn. Switched to the outside for the stretch run, it gave him the clear run he needed to make up all the ground he had in front of him to get to the lead and get there he did.
The LEA 5-year-old surged clear late to win by two lengths with the third placed runner five lengths behind and the fourth placed runner over 16 lengths back.
Trained by Eduardo Rodriguez for Ricardo Rodriguez, Beealea has won five of 23 starts with four other top three finishes for $145,005 in earnings. Included in those runs is two wins in the last three starts.
Beealea is a half-brother to the stakes winning Journeyist with the pair out of the stakes placed Beeway. That mare is one of three stakes performers for her own dam.
LEA has three stakes winners in 2023 with six stakes performers. Beealea is the 11th stakes winner for LEA with the stallion striking at a 9% stakes performer rate with 74% of his runners winning.