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Howling Time, Classic Causeway Lead Big Field For Sam F. Davis At Tampa Bay Downs

For a number of 3-year-old Thoroughbreds whose connections hold Kentucky Derby aspirations, 4:54 p.m. ET on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., is show-and-tell time.

A field of 12 sophomores, a few more promising than the others, is expected to line up about that time for the 42nd running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race awarding “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

The Sam F. Davis is one of four main-track stakes races on a good-looking, 11-race Festival Preview Day card beginning at 12:11 p.m. The program includes three other stakes races: the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks points race to be contested as the eighth race; the $100,000, six-furlong Pelican Stakes, for 4-year-olds and-upward, which is the seventh race; and the $50,000, six-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward, scheduled as the sixth.

In addition to being a field of dreams for breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys and stable workers, the Sam F. Davis is the major prep race for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, which is the showcase event of a $1-million-plus Festival Day card on March 12 featuring four graded stakes races.

To get to Festival Day, the Sam F. Davis entrants need to show they've upped their games off their 2-year-old performances. There is no shortage of confident handlers.

“It's a good (Kentucky) Derby prep race, the timing is good and our horse is healthy and doing everything right,” said Dale Romans, the trainer of Kentucky-bred colt Howling Time, expected to be one of the betting favorites.

“(The Sam F. Davis) is a good race to get your horse to the next level, and it's a great race to win on its own. But we are looking down the road (with Howling Time),” Romans said.

Howling Time, who is owned by Albaugh Family Stables and will be ridden by his regular jockey, Joseph Talamo, won his first two starts as a 2-year-old, including the Street Sense Stakes on Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs, before fading to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 27 at Churchill. “No one else wanted the lead,” Romans said, “and I don't think that's where this horse wants to run.”

Romans said he hopes Talamo can place Howling Time somewhere behind the leaders before unleashing his best run late. “This horse never gets tired, and we just want to get him to finish with a nice run and hopefully win,” Romans said.

Joining Howling Time from the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is Kentucky-bred colt Classic Causeway, who finished a solid second in that race to Smile Happy. Irad Ortiz, Jr., will take over the riding assignment from Joel Rosario. Classic Causeway is 1-for-3, including a third-place finish on Oct. 9 in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

Trainer Brian Lynch said he is sending Classic Causeway from his south Florida base to Tampa Bay Downs on Thursday, with the intention of jogging him Friday morning and schooling him in the paddock Friday afternoon.

“I'd like to see him get his first graded-stakes victory and keep picking up Derby points,” said Lynch, who trains Classic Causeway for Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper. “His workouts have been solid, and everything about them suggests he should run well.

“I feel that if he runs his race, he will certainly fit with these horses,” Lynch said. “He has a high cruising speed and he has gotten much bigger and stronger as a 3-year-old. He has the tactical speed to not be very far from the engine room, and hopefully he will be first to the wire.”

While Classic Causeway earned six points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” for his two graded-stakes efforts, Red Oak Stable's unbeaten (3-for-3) colt Make It Big gained 10 points on Dec. 17 by winning the Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma, his second stakes victory.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., said Jose Ortiz, Irad's brother, will again ride Make It Big.

“I talked it over a few weeks ago with Rick Sacco, the racing manager for Red Oak, and he recommended the (Sam F. Davis) would be a good choice for his 3-year-old debut,” Joseph said. “We didn't expect the race to come up this tough, but I'm excited to see how he stacks up.”

Joseph said Make It Big was forced to overcome adversity in the Springboard Mile. “He got in between horses and had to rate a bit, and then he got hooked late (by runner-up Osbourne) and had to out-battle him to the wire. It was a very professional performance,” Joseph said.

“This horse has a good mind, and he has found a way to win each time. He probably needs to improve to win Saturday, but he has improved in each race, so hopefully he will follow suit.”

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has entered three horses in the Sam F. Davis, including Grade 3 Grey Stakes winner God of Love, a supplementary entry after not being originally nominated. Casse's other runners are Golden Glider and Volcanic.

Here is the full field for the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

1. Mr Rum Runner, Patrick Biancone, Romero Ramsay Maragh

2. Unpredictable Bay, Alnaz Ali, Alonso Quinonez

3. Classic Causeway, Brian Lynch, Irad Ortiz, Jr.

4. Golden Glider, Mark Casse, Antonio Gallardo

5. God of Love, Mark Casse, Rafael M. Hernandez

6. Trademark, Victoria Oliver, Daniel Centeno

7. Make It Big, Saffie Joseph, Jr., Jose Ortiz

8. Shipsational, Edward Barker, Javier Castellano

9. Howling Time, Dale Romans, Joseph Talamo

10. Volcanic, Mark Casse, Edwin Gonzalez

11. Strike Hard, Matthew J. Williams, Leonel Reyes

12. Kitten Mischief, Jonathan Thomas, Manuel Franco;

13. (also-eligible) Little Vic, Juan Carlos Avila, Paco Lopez.

The 42nd edition of the Suncoast Stakes appears to have a standout in Nest, 2-for-3 after her victory on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes. The daughter of Curlin, out of the A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, is owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House and is trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

Here is the full field for the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

1. Blamethechampagne, Ian Wilkes, Rafael M. Hernandez

2. Nest, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz, Jr.

3. Alittleloveandluck, Mike Dini, Paco Lopez

4. Mining Chrome, Gerald Bennett, Roberto Alvarado, Jr.

5. Mirth 'n Merriment, Tim Hamm, Rocco Bowen

6. Peaceful Surprise, Christophe Clement, Samy Camacho

7. Ha' Penny, Joseph Orseno, Luca Panici

8. Princess Elin, Alnaz Ali, Alonso Quinonez.

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All-Time Minnesota-Bred Earner Mr. Jagermeister Retired, Stud Plans Pending

Mr. Jagermeister, the all-time leading Minnesota-bred money earning Thoroughbred, was retired Saturday following a workout at Tampa Bay Downs in which he was preparing for next week's Pelican Stakes.

The 7-year-old, who had earned $700,839 in 37 starts, returned to the barn following the workout when it was discovered that he had suffered a condylar fracture of the left front.

“We breezed him and everything went fine,” trainer Valorie Lund said. “He came back off. At first we thought it was his foot.” But the veteran trainer quickly knew it was something more and called for an x-ray. It was then the fracture was determined.

A younger horse might return from such a setback but Lund knew it was time for Mr. Jagermeister to retire. “I'm sorry to see him go. He was such a joy,” she said. Plans are in the making for a potential career in the breeding shed.

Mr. Jagermeister returned to his barn in Ocala where Lund keeps a string of 30.

“He was wanting to play in the aisle,” she said. “He's feeling fine.”

Mr. Jagermeister exploded onto the scene in the summer of 2017 when as a 2-year-old he broke his maiden at Canterbury at first asking by 11 1/2 lengths. His second start was a runner-up finish in a Prairie Meadows stakes race followed by the easiest 15 1/2 length win in the Northern Lights Futurity, the premiere race for state-bred 2-year-olds. A month later he met the talented Amy's Challenge in the Shakopee Juvenile. That battle became one of the most memorable at Canterbury. The filly defeated Mr. Jagermeister by a fraction of a length after the two dueled down the stretch.

Mr. Jagermeister would continue to face top competition throughout his career. While he is the all-time leader for state-breds in earnings, he is seventh overall in money earned racing at Canterbury. The son of Atta Boy Roy, who Lund also trained, made much of his purse money the hard way.

“He always met tough horses,” Lund said. “He was really an astounding racehorse.”

He won 13 of 37 starts with six seconds and four third-place finishes in a career that will lead to a Canterbury Hall of Fame induction.

In 2018 Mr. Jagermeister finished second to Mitole, then one of the nation's fastest sprinters, in an Oaklawn stakes. Later in his career he was second to Whitmore, a future Breeders' Cup Sprint winner. His brilliant speed carried him far. In his final race on Jan. 9, a Tampa Bay Downs sprint that he won by seven lengths going away, Mr. Jagermeister recorded a career best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

It was a race in his 3-year-old season that Lund remembers the most. That year began in the Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita where he tired on a blistering pace. He next romped in a Turf Paradise allowance before facing Mitole and heading south to Shakopee. He went favored in the 10,000 Lakes against older statebreds and won by eight lengths. Mr. Jagermeister was and is the only 3-year-old to win that race in 28 renditions.

Following a tenth place finish in the Mystic Lake Derby, his first turf try, Mr. Jagermeister went on a three-race sweep of the Victor Myers, Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Classic Championship. It was the Derby Lund recalls fondly.

“We wanted to keep him off the rail. He won by so far. Leandro [Goncalves] was standing up and cruising in,” she said. He won by 10 lengths in 1:40.37, just .17 seconds off the track record established in 1985. “Four off the rail all the way around. Geared down,” she remembered.

Family was planning to come to Tampa for the $100,000 Pelican Stakes, which was to be Mr. Jagermeister's next start, this coming Saturday. They will still visit and Lund hopes she can enter a maiden 3-year-old she has high hopes for.

“They will still come,” Lund said. “We will party but instead it will be a retirement party.”

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Tampa Bay Downs Expecting Full Field For Derby Prep Sam F. Davis

Tampa Bay Downs joins the Triple Crown trail Saturday with the 42^nd running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race for 3-year-olds competing at a distance of 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

A full field of 12 is expected for the Sam F. Davis, one of four dirt stakes on a Festival Preview Day card offering $550,000 in stakes purse money. Also scheduled are the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes, a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points race for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and 40 yards; the $100,000 Pelican Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000 Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward at 6 furlongs.

For the Sam F. Davis entrants, the race marks the first major test to determine if they are worthy of staying on the path to Louisville for the May 7 Run for the Roses. The Sam F. Davis awards points to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

The Sam F. Davis is also the main prep race for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, one of five stakes races – four graded – on the track's March 12 Festival Day card. The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby awards 50 points to the winner on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” with the next three finishers earning 20, 10 and 5 points.

Entries for Festival Preview Day will be taken Wednesday in the Tampa Bay Downs Racing Office.

Probables for the Sam F. Davis include Red Oak Stable's Florida-bred colt Make It Big, who was 3-for-3 as a 2-year-old for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Make It Big won the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 17 at Remington Park in his most recent start.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is expected to enter both Conrad Farms's colt Golden Glider and Breeze Easy, LLC's colt Volcanic. Golden Glider won a mile-and-40-yard allowance/optional claiming race on Jan. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs to improve to 2-for-2, while Volcanic broke his maiden on Jan. 8 going a mile at Gulfstream Park.

Other Sam F. Davis probables include Albaugh Family Stables, LLC's colt Howling Time, a stakes winner from the barn of Dale Romans; the Brian Lynch-trained colt Classic Causeway, who finished third last year in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes; Kitten Mischief, from the barn of trainer Jonathan Thomas; two-time stakes winner Shipsational, trained by Edward R. Barker; and Trademark, a gelding who won his last two starts of 2021 at Churchill Downs, trained by Victoria Oliver.

Like the Sam F. Davis, the Suncoast Stakes awards qualifying points for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks for fillies on a 10-4-2-1 scale. The field for the Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters.

Among the Suncoast probables is the Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House-owned Nest, who won the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct. She is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Also expected to try the Suncoast are the Mike Dini-owned and trained Florida-bred Alittleloveandluck, winner of the Ginger Brew Stakes on the turf on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream in her most recent start; Freedom Rose, from the barn of Michael Campbell; Peaceful Surprise, who broke her maiden here on Jan. 14 for trainer Christophe Clement; and trainer Alnaz Ali's Princess Elin.

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Tampa Turf Stakes: Bleecker Street Remains Unbeaten, Shirl’s Speight Rallies Under Wilson

After being victimized by Bleecker Street's whirlwind rally in the Grade 3, $175,000 Endeavour Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf, Emma-Jayne Wilson – the jockey on beaten favorite Lady Speightspeare – was ready to turn the tables on someone at Tampa Bay Downs.

Two races later, in the Grade 3, $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes for males on the turf, Wilson set Lady Speightspeare's stablemate Shirl's Speight loose in the stretch, and the 5-year-old horse responded by running down the race's defending champion, pace-setter Get Smokin, by a length-and-a-half.

“That's horse racing, in a nutshell,” Wilson said after 9-1 shot Shirl's Speight's victory for breeder-owner Charles Fipke and trainer Roger Attfield in 1:41.20 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth. “There are many ups and downs, and you've just got to ride the wave.

“When good horses come around, they'll show their stuff when the time is right.”

The two stakes races were the centerpiece of a spellbinding “Turf Champions Day” card under overcast skies that resulted in long-shots aplenty visiting the winner's circle (including Bleecker Street and Shirl's Speight, although their payoffs were minuscule in comparison to several others).

In the 23rd running of the Endeavour, the sixth race on the card, Wilson was sitting pretty on the lead on Lady Speightspeare at the eighth pole when unbeaten 4-year-old filly Bleecker Street – whose previous victory here on Jan. 8 came in a conditional allowance/optional claiming event – showed her stuff and then some, accelerating from mid-pack under jockey Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr., for a convincing length-and-a-half triumph.

The victory was the first graded-stakes triumph for the 32-year-old Diaz, who might feel like he's uncovered the key to buried treasure after trainer Chad Brown stuck with him following his three previous victories aboard Bleecker Street.

“She never gave me that turn of foot before,” Diaz said of today's performance by the Peter M. Brant-owned filly, now 4-for-4. “Not like that. Today was her best race, by far. The effort she put in was great. I have to thank God and Chad and his entire crew for this opportunity. They've done an amazing job with this filly. I knew she had to prove herself today against these kind of horses, but I was confident she could do it.

“I saw that green light in the stretch and she just took off, and the rest is history.”

The victory was the fourth in the Endeavour's 23-year history for Brown, more than any other conditioner. Bleecker Street posted a time of 1:41.91 on the firm turf course.

“She has won all four times coming off the pace, and being able to work out a trip like that every time is very difficult to do,” Brown said via telephone. “He (Diaz) has ridden her all four times, and I'm very proud of him.

“She had a good post (No. 2), the trip worked out real well and she showed a super turn of foot through the stretch. This filly took time to come around, and my whole staff has done an unbelievable job with her. And Mr. Brant is so patient. We scratched In Italian from the race this morning because we thought bringing her back inside a month was a little soon for her, and we didn't want to run them against each other.

“She (Bleecker Street) stepped up and it turned out to be the right call,” added Brown, who later won the Grade III Withers for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct with Early Voting.

Wilson was disappointed to get beat, but offered no excuses. “Chad's horses have a tendency of doing that to you,” Wilson said. ”I wouldn't give (Lady Speightspeare) any excuses. She had everything go as well as it could. We had a good run at it – we were just second-best.”

Stunning Princess finished third and Jezebel's Kitten was fourth. Bleecker Street paid $16 to win.

The way Get Smokin was sailing along under jockey Antonio Gallardo in the Tampa Bay Stakes, it appeared everyone was running for second at the top of the lane. The 5-year-old gelding hadn't been asked much approaching the stretch in his first start since June 20, but Wilson sensed she was sitting on a powder keg.

“I was interested to see how the pace was going to set up,” Wilson said of Shirl's Speight's performance. “Last time (a Jan. 15 victory here under Gallardo in an allowance/optional claiming race), he was a little keen, but today he settled off the pace nice and the way they kind of ran away from him early, I just wanted to make sure he relaxed and got into position where he was comfortable.”

Reserved near mid-pack, Shirl's Speight was asked for his best when Wilson tipped him out wide and kept to his task to record his second lifetime Grade 3 victory. Floriform finished third and English Bee was fourth.

“I had to thread the needle a little down the lane, but good horses will overcome adversity and he shot through there like he was shot out of a cannon,” Wilson said. “Roger is a Hall of Famer, and he knows how to have them primed and ready.”

Attfield, in fact, is a member of both the U.S. and Canadian Horse Racing Halls of Fame, a status shared by Get Smokin's trainer, Mark Casse.

“We've lost a lot to Roger. He's a wonderful guy and a class act, and good for him,” Casse said.

Attfield had both of his horses ready for top efforts and was thrilled to come away with a victory and a second.

“It (the Tampa Bay Stakes) was a beautiful race, no question,” he said. “I liked the way he did it today – I don't really want him to be speed all the time, but he's got a lot of speed. (Wilson) rode him very well. I definitely thought (Get Smokin) was the horse to beat.

“And our filly (Lady Speightspeare) ran very well for everything she has been through, so it's been a good day.”

Shirl's Speight wins the Tampa Bay Stakes

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