HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Will Take Charge did not win his 4-year-old debut Sunday at Gulfstream Park, but last year’s 3-year-old champion did nothing to disgrace himself in the $500,000 Donn Handicap.

Lea held off Will Take Charge to score a 1 1/2-length victory, but it was no jog around the track for the 5-year-old son of First Samurai, who established a track record time of 1:46.86, bettering the previous record of 1:47.49 set by Quality Road in the Donn four years ago.

Lea, trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Joel Rosario, won for the sixth time in 12lifetime starts and is 2 for 2 since being transferred to Mott’s barn late last year, winning the 1-mile Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream Jan. 11 by 3 1/4 lengths.

Sunday’s vistory was the first for Lea in a Grade I race.

“They had to set a new track record to beat us, so that’s all you need,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “Kudos to the winner.”

Will Take Charge, owned by Arkansan Willis Horton of Marshall, had not raced since winning the Nov. 29 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs over Game on Dude, which sewed up his Eclipse Award as the top 3-year-old in 2013.

Will Take Charge has been training at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs before shipping to Gulfstream earlier this week.

“We got blocked for a bit and couldn’t get out, so we couldn’t move as quickly as we wanted to,” said Lukas, who has never won the Donn. “That’s just horse racing. We also didn’t have a race over the track, which turned out to be a disadvantage.”

Lea paid $13, $4.60 and $4. Will Take Charge returned $3.40 and $2.80, and Viramundo paid $11.80 to show.

Will Take Charge pulled within 3 lengths entering the stretch, but Lea continued his strong run to the wire.

“You don’t ever want to be too overconfident,” Mott said. “We were in against a champion, and we were good enough to beat him today.”

Lea, making his third career start on dirt, opened a big lead off the final turn as Will Take Charge had to be taken outside by jockey Luis Saez before he could take clear aim at the leader.

Will Take Charge, the 3-2 favorite in the field of 11 older horses, finished 91/4 lengths ahead of 44-1 shot Viramundo in third.

Lea had mostly raced on turf for previous trainer Albert Stall Jr. but has taken off for Mott, a Hall of Famer trainer who earned his third Donn victory and his first since Cigar won it in consecutive years during his 16-race victory streak in 1995-96.

“It’s always a different challenge when you move to the dirt,” Mott said. “I felt he [Lea] was capable, but the competition was stiff and we were in against a champion.”

Lea was always prominent in the Donn while racing four wide early before settling into second just off pacesetter Uncaptured, who took the field along through an opening quarter mile of :23.40. Lea poked his head in front after a half in :47.21 and maintained a narrow edge over Uncaptured and Bourbon Courage while running 6 furlongs in 1:10.90. Will Take Charge raced midpack toward the inside for Saez before angling out to advance around the turn between rivals. Lea opened a 3-length advantage coming out of the bend and was urged along by Rosario until deep stretch as the long-striding Will Take Charge continued to close the gap through the lane. Lea reached the 1-mile mark in 1:34.74 and came home the final eighth in :12.12 to eclipse the track mark.

“I knew turning for home the kind of horse he is,” said Rosario after his first Donn victory. “He just never quit running, so I was very happy turning for home. I never worried about Will Take Charge coming from behind. It was all the horse. He did it so easy. The fact that he broke the track record doesn’t surprise me.”

Lea carried 117 pounds, 6 fewer than Will Take Charge, who was seeking to become the first 3-year-old champion to win the Donn.

At a glance WHAT Donn Handicap, 1 mile, 1/8th WHERE Gulfstream Park, Hallandale, Fla. VALUE Grade I, $500,000 purse TIME 1:46.86, track record WINNER Lea ($13, $4.60, $4.00) SECOND Will Take Charge ($3.40, $2.80) THIRD Viramundo ($11.80) WINNING CONNECTIONS Bill Mott, trainer; Joel Rosario, jockey; Clairborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider, owner

Sports, Pages 13 on 02/10/2014