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 Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard Owen Almighty after winning the Tampa Bay Derby |
The highlight of the Tampa Bay Downs racing season is the $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G3) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. It is the major local prep for the Triple Crown series and worth 50 points to the winner as part of the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. Conditions were excellent at the Oldsmar oval for the 7,810 fans in attendance, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70's, main track rated fast and the turf course firm.
 Owen Almighty leads down the stretch |
A field of 7 went to post, with Patch Adams sent off as the 9-5 favorite off his 4th place finish in the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn. In to challenge him included 2-1 second choice Chancer McPatrick, unraced since finishing a disappointing 6th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar, and 11-4 third choice Owen Almighty, second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes after being disqualified from first to fifth in the Pasco.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Owen Almighty to the lead first time by and he set fractions of 23.84, 48.16, and 1:12.54 while pressed by 21-1 Brodeur and stalked by Chancer McPatrick. Into the stretch Owen Almighty opened up a 4 length lead through 1 mile in 1:36.46, and easily held off Chancer McPatrick to win by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:42.30. It was 2 3/4 lengths back to late-running 9-2 fourth choice Hill Road third, and a long 4 1/4 lengths more to favorite Patch Adams fourth.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 1 Owen Almighty Ortiz Jr. 7.80 3.40 2.40 2 Chancer McPatrick Prat 3.60 2.60 3 Hill Road Gaffalione 2.80 Winning Time: 1:42.30 $1 Exacta 1-2 12.10 $0.50 Trifecta 1-2-3 17.20 $0.10 Superfecta 1-2-3-7 6.35 |
Left: Owen Almighty in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Brian Lynch said, "I'm 2 for 2 in the Tampa Bay Derby, I love it! He's run two crackerjack races here, and of course this Derby is the big race of the meet, so it's nice to see him take it in the fashion he did. When I saw the half in :48, I thought he's going to be a tough catch from here. I'm sure I'll talk with the group, but if I had my way I'd cut him back to the Pat Day Mile."
Right: The trophy presentation for the Tampa Bay Derby. Payton Boersma of ownership group Flying Dutchmen said, "This horse really showed what he's made of today. He's going to be really tough going into that Derby. The Kentucky Derby, of course."
Left: Owen Almighty circles after the race. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "The last two races he was waiting on horses, I said ‘Brian we need some bigger blinkers.' Today, I feel some horses coming, so I tap him on the shoulder and he jumped on the bridle. I said ‘Oh boy, that's what I was looking for.'
Right: Owen Almighty shortly after the start of the race. Lynch added, "It was a great ride by Irad. I didn't give him any instructions – I just said one thing to him I learned from Bobby Frankel: ‘Class horse, class rider. You two are a perfect match.' Irad was just waiting (at the quarter pole), he knew he had plenty of horse."
Left: Second place finisher Chancer McPatrick in the paddock. jockey Flavien Prat said, "He ran very well, It turned into a sprint, the winner kind of kicked away from us, but he ran a good race. I liked him with the blinkers."
Right: Third place finisher Hill Road returns after the race. Chad Brown, trainer of both Chancer McPatrick and Hill Road said, "I would say both horses, the way they galloped out, are legitimate Kentucky Derby contenders now. The way they accelerated on the gallop out along with how they came into the race physically, both horses were just a picture of health. I'm excited about their chances at 1 1/4 if I can get them there."
Fourth place finisher and beaten favorite Patch Adams first time by. The Brad Cox trainee has a record of 1 win, 0 seconds, and 1 third in 4 starts, earning $149,625 for owner CHC Inc and co-owner/breeder WinStar Farm.
Immediately before the Tampa Bay Derby, a field of 11 three-year-old fillies went to post in the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3) at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Nitrogen was sent off as the 3-2 favorite off her Ginger Brew Stakes win after finishing 3rd in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). In to challenge her included 5-1 second choice Opulent Restraint, unraced since winning the Chelsey Flower Stakes at Aqueduct in October, and 11-2 third choice Lush Lips off 2 straight wins in allowance company.
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione sent Lush Lips to the lead first time by through fractions of 23.15, 47.15, and 1:10.61 while pressed by Opulent Restraint and stalked by Nitrogen. Into the stretch Lush Lips opened a 1 1/2 length lead through 1 mile in 1:34.52 but Nitrogen under Jose Ortiz came out 3 wide and rallied to win by 1/2 a length in 1:40.42. It was a long 4 lengths back to late-running 18-1 Deloraine third.
Left: Nitrogen in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Mark Casse said, "I was a little concerned if she was going to get there, but she just gets there. I thought ‘Oh boy, I gotta run this horse (Lush Lips) down.' "
Right: Nitrogen returns after the Florida Oaks.
Left: Nitrogen in the run out. Winning jockey Jose Ortiz said, "(Lush Lips) broke well and was not contested on the lead, so I knew she was going to be tough to beat. I decided to wait on the backside and brought my filly back a little and tried to save ground and make a run. When I asked her, she gave me a good turn of foot. Sometimes it takes her a little bit to get going, but when she does she has a big (kick)."
Right: Owner Leonard Green leads Nitrogen to the winner's circle after the race.
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Left: Second place finisher Lush Lips shortly after the start. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, "I got away with pretty comfortable fractions, she was doing it well within herself, top of the lane I asked her and she really kicked on nice. She finished up strong to the wire, just second-best today."
Right: Third place finisher Deloraine returns after the race. The Eoin Harty trainee improved her record to 2 wins, 0 seconds, and 3 thirds in 6 starts, earning $22,291 for owner-breeder Godolphin.
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The $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2) featured 9 older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on the turf. Saffron Moon was sent off as the 11-10 favorite off her win in the Endeavour Stakes (G3). In to challenge her included 3-1 second choice Gimme a Nother, a perfect 7 for 7 all at Turffontein, South Africa including the TAB Empress Club (G1) and making her U.S. debut here, and 6-1 third choice Spaliday, unraced since winning the Sands Point (G2) at Aqueduct in October.
27-1 Damson and 22-1 Avenue Niel dueled for the early lead through opening fractions of 23.96 and 48.45 while stalked by 10-1 Sparkle Blue. On the far turn 13-1 Eternal Silence swept 3 wide into the lead through 3/4 in 1:12.70 and 1 mile in 1:36.45. Saffron Moon, 4th early under Flavien Prat after a bumpy start, came out 3 wide into the lane and rallied to outfinish fellow closer Gimme a Nother by 3/4 length in 1:47.58. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to late-running 8-1 Venencia third.
Left: Saffron Moon heads to the winner's circle. Winning jockey Flavien Prat said, "I wanted to be close, but it seemed like everybody wants to be close, too. I got myself into a good spot going into the first turn. The race developed a little bit down the backside, it took me a little while to get a gap, but once she got a gap she jumped well."
Right: Saffron Moon returns after the race.
Left: The trophy presentation for the Hillsborough Stakes. Winning trainer Chad Brown said, "The thing about it which gives me a lot of confidence that the ceiling's unlimited is that she's always trained like a good horse. She may not have run much from 2 to 5, but it wasn't because we were waiting for her to come around, it's because she was on the sidelines all the time. But when she was in the barn, she was always impressive in the morning. So I'm so proud of the horse, I'm thrilled for the owners."
Right: Saffron Moon in the post parade.
Left: Second place finisher Gimme a Nother in the post parade. Trainer Graham Motion said, "He said he had to wait because he was going to get fanned so wide on the last turn, and then it took her awhile to get going," Motion said. "He was very pleased with her, he said what I said, she might want to go a little farther. She hasn't run since April. It does make a difference," Motion added "She was a little surprised by everything, she was a little spooked about things. It's all new to her."
Right: Third place finisher Venencia in the post parade. The Chad Brown trainee improved her record to 2 wins, 1 second, and 4 thirds in 8 starts, earning $160,998 for owners Bradley Thoroughbreds, Laura Leigh Stable, Jim Cone, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Team Hanley, and Cambron Equine.
Kicking off the stakes action was the $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes (G3) featuring a short field of 4 older horses (after 4 scratches) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. Two-time winner Skippylongstocking was sent off as the 3-5 favorite off his third place finish in the Pegasus World Cup (G1). In to challenge him were 11-10 second choice Most Wanted second in the Clark (G2) at Churchill Downs in November, 8-1 third choice Instant Coffee off his 5th place finish in the Fred Hooper (G3), and 19-1 longest shot El Principito off a close third last out in a claiming event on February 16 when he was claimed by his current connections for $25,000.
Jockey Florent Geroux sent Most Wanted to the lead first time by through fractions of 23.89, 47.64, and 1:11.24 while pressed by Skippylongstocking and stalked by El Principito. Into the stretch Tyler Gaffalione sent Skippylongstocking 3 wide to gain the lead through 1 mile in 1:34.93, and drew clear late to complete the three-peat by 1 1/4 lengths in a new track record time of 1:41.20, eclipsing the previous record by 55/100 second. It was a long 14 3/4 lengths back to Instant Coffee third, and 1 1/4 more to El Principito last.
Left: Skippylongstocking heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "We thought he was sitting on that kind of a race. We knew we weren't going to be able to give (Most Wanted) too much of a head start. I thought he really laid it down towards the wire; Most Wanted kicked away from him and Skippy laid his head down and really finished off. To me it looked like they were really running towards the line."
Right: Skippylongstocking in the post parade. Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, "He got a little antsy in there, sat back right before they sprung it and he leaped out of there. I was able to get him under himself and he carried me very well throughout the race. When I got to [Most Wanted] at the quarter pole, my horse found another gear and I was fairly confident he was going to get the job done."
Left: Second place finisher Most Wanted in the post parade. Trainer Brad Cox said, "I think showing the way was the thing to do, we got a good trip, we just didn't cross the wire first, came up a little short. We got away well, I thought we had the upper hand going up the backside. Coming off a layoff, hopefully he gets something out of it and moves forward."
Right: Third place finisher Instant Coffee in the post parade. The Chad Summers trainee improved his record to 3 wins, 0 seconds, and 3 thirds in 14 starts, earning $540,685 for owner Gold Square.
The $125,000 Columbia Stakes featured a field of 9 three-year-olds going 1 mile on the turf. 70-1 Peace Cloud set the early pace of 23.18 and 46.16 while pressed by 8-5 favorite Zulu Kingdom and stalked by 2-1 second choice Dream On. On the far turn jockey Flavien Prat sent Zulu Kingdom to the lead through 3/4 in 1:09.19. 3-1 third choice Reagan's Wit put in a strong rally from 4th but Zulu Kingdom held him off to win by a neck in 1:33.24. It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to late-running 7-1 Revolutionnaire third.
Left: Zulu Kingdom in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Chad Brown said, "It really was, off the (18-week) layoff. It was a really, really strong effort. He didn't have a breather the whole way, and he survived being between horses going fast and held off a nice horse at the end."
Right: Zulu Kingdom in the post parade. Winning jockey Flavien Prat said, "It was a great run. He jumped so well out of there, so I got myself in the race from the beginning," Prat said. "I was traveling well all the way around and was able to take a nice breather on the far turn, and he kicked on well. Honestly, at the 1/16 pole I didn't know if (Reagan's Wit) was going to go by me, but my horse kind of regrouped and kicked on."
Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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