Sports mania descends on Tampa, Fla., this weekend, with the Tampa Bay Derby card scheduled for Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs and March Madness continues with the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in town through Sunday (go Big Blue!).
Tampa Bay Downs' card features a quartet of graded stakes races: the G2 Tampa Bay Derby, G2 Hillsborough, G3 Challenger, and G3 Florida Oaks.
Outside the sphere of March Madness, this weekend's live racing action includes a big showdown at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. Champion and Breeders' Cup winner Ce Ce will take on 2021 Azeri (G2) winner Shedaresthedevil in this year's edition of the 1 1/16-mile contest.
Other stakes action this weekend includes a pair of G3 contests at Santa Anita Park, the G3 Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream, a couple of listed stakes races at Aqueduct, and the return of Grade 2 winner California Angel to the grass at the Fair Grounds.
Despite being the only graded stakes winner in the field, having taken down the Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in October, Chris Walsh's California Angel has been installed as the 8-1 seventh choice for Saturday's $75,000 Allen “Black Cat” Lacombe Memorial at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La.
The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park and Tampa Bay Downs.
Saturday
3:14 p.m. – G2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
Nine horses are entered in the Hillsborough, in which a highly anticipated rematch is slated between 4-year-old fillies Bleecker Street (4-for-4) and Lady Speightspeare, the 1-2 finishers in the G3 Endeavour Stakes here on Feb. 5. Bleecker Street is trained by Chad Brown, who is tied with Pletcher for most Hillsborough victories with four apiece.
Bleecker Street will be ridden by Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr., the only jockey she has known. Lady Speightspeare, a Grade 1 winner as a 2-year-old, is trained by Roger Attfield and has the services of Emma-Jayne Wilson, her only rider in six career starts.
5:23 p.m. – G2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs
Classic Causeway, who is expected to be the wagering favorite, drew the No. 4 post position for the Tampa Bay Derby. Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was aboard for his Sam F. Davis Stakes victory, will again ride Classic Causeway for owners Kentucky West Racing, LLC and Clarke M. Cooper and trainer Brian Lynch.
The top four finishers will receive 50, 20, 10 and 5 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs. Classic Causeway is 11th in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” standings with 16 points.
Among Classic Causeway's Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby rivals are Giant Game, the third-place finisher in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, trained by Dale Romans and to be ridden by Joe Talamo from the No. 5 post; Major General, winner of the G3 Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, trained by five-time Tampa Bay Derby-winning conditioner Todd Pletcher, with Javier Castellano named to ride from the No. 8 post; and two-time stakes winner and Sam F. Davis runner-up Shipsational, trained by Edward Barker, with Manuel Franco aboard from the No. 9 post.
6:10 p.m. – G2 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park
A champion and one with championship aspirations meet for the first time in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.
The Azeri has drawn an outstanding cast of nine, led by 2021 Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Ce Ce for Southern California-based trainer Michael McCarthy and defending champion Shedaresthedevil, a millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner for trainer Brad Cox. Also entered are multiple Grade 3 winner Pauline's Pearl for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and Grade 3 winner Lady Mystify for trainer Peter Eurton.
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