Tampa Bay Downs has a huge Saturday on tap, with four stakes highlighted by the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3), a prep for the Kentucky Derby. Ten runners will go 1 1/16 miles, with everyone hoping to snatch some of the Derby points on offer; 10 will go to the winner.
#3 Knicks Go is the lone grade 1-winner in the field. The Ben Colebrook-trainee took the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in October at 70-1. He was dismissed at 40-1 in the subsequent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but finished second, beaten only 2 ¼ lengths by Game Winner. Knicks Go was finally favored in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in November, but ran uncharacteristically poorly and finished 11th.
#7 Five Star General and #9 Well Defined are the other stakes winners in the field. Five Star General is a son of Distorted Humor that won the Central Park at Aqueduct last out. He is two for three lifetime and keeps Jose Ortiz in the irons. This will be his first try past a mile. Well Defined won the Florida Sire In Reality Stakes by 7 ½ lengths in September, but hasn’t won in two tries since.
The rest of the field is completed by various allowance winners and impressive maiden breakers. #6 Kentucky Wildcat earned an 86 when he won at Aqueduct on December 1. The horse who ran behind him that day, Country House, has since romped impressively at Gulfstream and is also on the Derby trail. Kentucky Wildcat is a son of Tapit out of the dual grade 1-winning mare Better Lucky and is trained by Tom Albertrani.
#10 Still Dreaming is a Flatter half-brother to 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. He broke his maiden by three lengths at Laurel Park on January 1 for trainer Graham Motion.
#1 Counter Offer, by Tapizar, is one for six lifetime and is coming off a second place effort here behind #8 So Alive, a Todd Pletcher-trainee who has won two of three. Javier Castellano will become his fourth jockey in four races. #2 Going for Gold, a maiden, has new connections after running second twice at Laurel, and is now trained by Bob Hess, Jr. #4 Cave Run is a Godolphin-owned son of Street Sense who broke his maiden here sprinting in December and was third in the local prep for this contest on January 19. #5 Moonster is Dale Roman’s entry; the son of Malibu Moon is one for six and hasn’t run since December 23.
The Sam F. Davis is the stepping stone to Tampa’s biggest Derby prep, the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on March 9.
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