Classic Causeway, who turned in a dominating performance in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, is likely to return to the Oldsmar, Fla., oval for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12, trainer Brian Lynch said Sunday morning.
“We're looking forward to coming back,” Lynch said from his Palm Meadows Training Center base, where Classic Causeway “looked happy and spunky” after his 3 ¾-length victory from runner-up Shipsational and 10 other 3-year-olds. “We think it will be the right move. He ran great over the track, and it was such a great day of racing we'd like to enjoy it again.”
Shipsational's trainer, Eddie Barker, said his colt is also being pointed to the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. Shipsational remains at Tampa Bay Downs, where he has been in training since December.
Classic Causeway, who is owned by his breeders – Patrick O'Keefe's Kentucky West Racing, LLC and Clarke M. Cooper – earned 10 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” qualifying points for his Sam F. Davis victory, moving him atop the standings with 16 points. Shipsational is 25th with 4 points earned Saturday.
The Kentucky Derby field is limited to 20 starters, with the standings through the April 16 Lexington Stakes used to determine the runners. The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby offers points to the first four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 scale.
The Kentucky Derby is May 7 at Churchill Downs.
Lynch said he was most impressed by Classic Causeway's ability to run comfortably down the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis despite being pressured from the outside by long shot Little Vic. After a 22.66-second opening quarter-mile, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., got Classic Causeway to relax somewhat through a second quarter in 24.01, enabling him to draw off from the field on the turn for home.
Classic Causeway's final time was 1:42.80, .36 seconds off the stakes mark set by Flameaway in 2018.
Classic Causeway, who was Grade 1 and Grade 2-placed as a 2-year-old, raced professionally throughout, seeming to be energized by the early challenge from Little Vic. “He is a very competitive horse who loves what he does,” Lynch said. “We are happy to have him on our team and not have to play against him.”
Shipsational, a two-time stakes winner in restricted New York-bred stakes last year, proved his worth under jockey Javier Castellano by surging past eventual third-place finisher Volcanic in deep stretch.
“I loved the way (Shipsational) finished,” Barker said Sunday morning. “He came out of the race absolutely super, he dove into his feed tub and he's been bouncing around. I think he is a horse who is going to keep on developing, and hopefully when the Tampa Bay Derby gets here we'll be ready to go.”
Shipsational is owned by Iris Smith Stable, LLC.
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