Derby Prep | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rattle N Roll, Make It Big Top Nominees To Tampa’s First Derby Prep

Rattle N Roll, who won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity on Oct. 9 at Keeneland in his most recent start, and Make It Big, whose 3-for-3 record includes two stakes victories, head a list of 48 nominations for the 42nd renewal of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds on the Feb. 12 Festival Preview Day card at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Sam F. Davis Stakes, contested at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main dirt track, is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race, with the top four finishers receiving points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward qualifying for a spot in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 7. The Sam F. Davis is also a precursor to the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race awarding 50, 20, 10 and 5 points to the first four finishers.

Three other stakes are scheduled on the Festival Preview Day card. They include the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, which is a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points race; the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes, for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

The list of Sam F. Davis nominations includes eight from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the race a record six times, most recently with Destin in 2016. Heading the list of Pletcher-trained candidates is Mo Donegal, who won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct, and Emmanuel, who won Sunday's sixth race impressively at Tampa.

Rattle N Roll, a Kentucky-bred colt owned by the Mackin family's Lucky Seven Stable and trained by Ken McPeek, won the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders' Futurity by a widening 4 ¼ lengths under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. After targeting a start in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar, McPeek changed course after the horse developed a minor foot issue.

Rattle N Roll returned to the workout tab earlier this month at Gulfstream Park and breezed three furlongs Saturday in 35.67 seconds.

Make It Big, owned by Red Oak Stable and trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., won the Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint Stakes on Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 17 at Remington Park in his last two starts. Jose Ortiz was aboard for the most recent victory.

Here are the links to the nominations and their past performances for the Sam F. Davis Stakes:

https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SN-TAM-20220212-573142

https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SNPP-TAM-20220212-573142

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America’s Day At The Races Telecast Features Coast-To-Coast Derby Preps

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air coverage both Saturday and Sunday showcasing live racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Santa Anita Park and Fair Grounds.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 5-6 p.m. Eastern on FS2, while Sunday will feature coverage on FS2 from 1:30-6:30 p.m.

Saturday's show will offer coverage of a trio of exciting Kentucky Derby prep races, beginning with the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham as a talented eight-horse field line up in Race 9 at 5:07 p.m at Aqueduct. The one-turn mile will offer 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers, with the Chad Brown-trained Highly Motivated enters off back-to-back wins following a runner-up debut effort behind stablemate Founder in August at Saratoga Race Course. Brown and owner Klaravich Stables will also send out Crowded Trade. The chestnut colt registered an 83 Beyer in his winning debut.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert entered graded stakes-placed Freedom Fighter after finishing a close second to stablemate Concert Tour in the Grade 2 San Vicente on February 6 at Santa Anita. Capo Cane, third in the Withers last out, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Atlantic Road will also comprise the field.

In Tampa, another 50-20-10-5-point “Road to the Kentucky Derby” prep will see a stocked 12-horse field compete in the Grade 2, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby at 5:25 p.m.

Candy Man Rocket, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won the Sam F. Davis on February 6 at Tampa and will return in the 1 1/16-mile race at the same track.

Other contenders in the race include the unbeaten Helium, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, as well as Pletcher sending out Promise Keeper and Unbridled Honor, both last-out maiden winner. Conditioner Saffie Joseph Jr. also will saddle a pair of challengers in Moonlite Strike and Super Strong.

The third of the three 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby prep races on the day will be the Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe in Santa Anita's Race 6 at 5:30 p.m. Baffert, who has dreams of a history-making seventh overall win in the “Run for the Roses,” will look to see if Life is Good can remain unbeaten. Stablemate Medina Spirit, who was the runner-up in the Sham and won the Robert B. Lewis, will give Baffert coast-to-coast challengers on the Derby trail.

Sunday's racing action will feature the $100,000 Biogio's Rose for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-year-olds and up at Aqueduct. Espresso Shot has won a stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack at ages 2, 3 and 4 and will look to register a win at the Big A for a fourth consecutive year she competes against five other contenders going a one-turn mile on Sunday. The Sunday broadcast will also feature live racing from Oaklawn, Tampa Bay Downs and Fair Grounds Race Course.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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America’s Day At The Races Features Pair Of Derby Preps, Return Of Monomoy Girl

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air eight total hours of live racing coverage this weekend encompassing action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast 2-7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday on FS2, while Sunday will feature coverage on FS2 from 4-5 p.m. with FS1 airing the program from 5-7 p.m.

Stakes action abounds on Saturday's slate, including a pair of prep races for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. The Grade 2, $300,000 Fountain of Youth, carded as Race 14 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, will offer 50-20-10-5 Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. The 1 1/16-mile contest, set to go off at 6:10 p.m., will feature 10 contenders, including 9-5 morning-line favorite Greatest Honour for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. A 5 3/4-length winner of the Grade 3 Holy Bull last month over the same track, Greatest Honour will face a talented field that includes 7-2 selection Fire At Will, with the Mike Maker trainee returning to dirt in his 3-year-old debut following a win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Keeneland. Big A leading rider Kendrick Carmouche will travel to Florida for the call on Fire At Will.

Other graded stakes action at Gulfstream that will air on America's Day at the Races includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile for 4-year-olds and up in Race 9 at 3:27 p.m., and the Grade 3, $200,000 Davona Dale for 3-year-old fillies in Race 12 at 5:04 p.m. The Davona Dale, contested at one mile, offers 50-20-10-5 points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

At Oaklawn, another qualifier for the “Run for the Roses” will be on tap, as a seven-horse field competes in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest with 10-4-2-1 points up for grabs. Slated as Race 10 with a 5:58 p.m. post, the Hot Springs, Arkansas-based track will see Eclipse Award-winning Essential Quality make his sophomore bow after going 3-for-3 as a juvenile, including wins at Keeneland in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile to become a champion for trainer Brad Cox.

The 3-2 favorite will face an ambitious field that includes Jackie's Warrior [8-5] for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. Jackie's Warrior, who captured the Grade 1 Runhappy Hopeful at Saratoga and Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont last season, will look to turn the tables on Essential Quality after finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile as the odds-on favorite.

Oaklawn will also showcase the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback for 4-year-olds and up led by 2020 Grade 2 Jim Dandy-winner Mystic Guide in Race 7 at 4:20 pm. as well as the $200,000 Spring Fever in Race 8 at 4:52 p.m.

Aqueduct will get in on the stakes action with the $125,000 Stymie for 4-year-olds and up going a one-turn mile in Race 3 at 2:03 p.m. Eastern. Chester and Mary Broman's New York-bred legend Mr. Buff, trained by John Kimmel, will go for his 11th career stakes win in headlining a five-horse field, listed as the 3-5 favorite with Musical Heart the second choice at 2-1.

Sunday's racing action from Oaklawn will feature the return of Monomoy Girl, the reigning champion Older Dirt Female, in the Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa, a 1 1/16-mile test for older fillies and mares. The 6-year-old Tapizar chestnut, who sports a record of 13 wins and two seconds from 15 starts, boasts purse earnings in excess of $4.4 million. Florent Geroux will pilot the Cox trainee from the outside post in a field of six. The Bayakoa is slated as Race 9 on Sunday at 6:11 p.m.

NYRA paddock analyst Maggie Wolfendale will be reporting live on-site from Oaklawn all weekend, while Paul Lo Duca will be stationed at Gulfstream for Sunday's broadcast.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 64,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Baffert Duo Spielberg, Medina Spirit Take On Competitive Field In Bob Lewis

Although Bob Baffert will be packing a heavy one-two punch with Spielberg and Medina Spirit, Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes has attracted a very competitive field of eight sophomores, with no clear-cut standout. To be contested at a mile and one sixteenth over Santa Anita's main track, the Lewis is a key prep to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. Originally titled the Santa Catalina, the Lewis will be run for the 83rd time on Saturday.

Named in honor of the prominent late owner and philanthropist Robert B. Lewis, who along with his wife Beverly, owned two Kentucky Derby winners, Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic in 1999, the Lewis winner will receive 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The second place finisher will receive four, third place nets two points and the fourth place finisher will get one point.

Spielberg comes off a gutty nose victory at the same distance in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19, which was his sixth career start. The win no doubt took on added luster when the runner-up, Doug O'Neill's The Great One, came back to demolish a field of maidens by 14 lengths this past Saturday.

Purchased for $1 million as a Keeneland September Yearling, Spielberg, a chestnut colt by Union Rags, out of the Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, has been favored in four of his six starts and he'll be making his fifth graded stakes appearance. Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, LLC and Robert Masterson, Spielberg will be ridden back by Flavien Prat and be trying to provide Baffert with his third consecutive Lewis win and his record ninth overall.

A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit far outran his 9-1 odds in finishing a fast closing second, beaten three quarters of a length by his highly regarded stablemate Life Is Good in the G1 Sham Stakes going one mile on Jan. 2. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Medina Spirit, a Florida-bred colt by the Giant's Causeway stallion Protonico, was purchased for a modest $35,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, 2020.

Second the entire trip in the Sham, Medina Spirit hit his best stride late and earned a lofty 99 Beyer Speed figure in the process. He'll be ridden back by Abel Cedillo, who comes of a fabulous three-day week at Santa Anita in which he posted nine wins.

Dismissed at 94-1, Doug O'Neill's Hot Rod Charlie made the lead a furlong from home and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, earning a 94 Beyer. A one mile maiden winner here two starts back on Oct. 2, this colt by Oxbow is vastly improved, has been training impressively and will get the first time services of Joel Rosario. Owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC and Strauss Bros Racing, Hot Rod Charlie closed much ground at Keeneland and will hope to be rolling late with plenty of pace to exploit in the Lewis.

A $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase, C R K Stable's Parnelli could likely pose significant trouble for anyone with front-running aspirations. A galloping 5 ¾ one mile maiden winner two starts back at Del Mar Nov. 28, this colt by Quality Road was a bit rank while under restraint early in the Sham on Jan. 2 and was never a factor thereafter. With a win, three seconds and a third, Parnelli, who is trained by John Shirreffs, will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli.

Owned by Reddam Racing, LLC and trained by Doug O'Neill, Wipe the Slate could also add plenty of fuel to the early pace fire, as he comes off an impressive 3 ¼ length maiden win going seven furlongs here on Dec. 26. A Kentucky-bred colt by Reddam's 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Wipe the Slate looms a legitimate contender in his third start with Mario Gutierrez riding back.

THE GRADE III ROBERT B. LEWIS STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 8 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

Medina Spirit—Abel Cedillo—120
Rombauer—Mike Smith—120
Parnelli—Umberto Rispoli—120
Hot Rod Charlie—Joel Rosario—20
Roman Centurian—Juan Hernandez—120
Waspirant—Ricardo Gonzalez—120
Wipe the Slate—Mario Gutierrez–120
Spielberg—Flavien Prat—124

First post time for an eight-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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