Tampa Bay Downs joins the Triple Crown trail Saturday with the 42nd 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.
