Tampa Bay Downs is the place for one of the two Kentucky Derby prep races on Saturday with the Tampa Bay Derby. The other is the Rebel from Oaklawn Park, which will be drawn on Thursday. In addition to the Tampa Bay Derby the three-year-old fillies also get their chance to shine in the Florida Oaks. The 12-race card also includes the Hillsborough for older fillies and mares on the turf and the Turf Dash, a five-furlong race on the grass.
The Tampa Bay Derby goes as race 11 and drew a field of only seven. Rule, the winner of the local prep Sam F. Davis, will not run in this race, but his trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by Super Saver. He has not raced since last November, a winning effort in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club. Super Saver is likely to set the pace from post six just in front of Schoolyard Dreams and Odysseus.
Schoolyard Dreams finished three lengths behind Rule in the Sam F. Davis after tracking him the whole race. Schoolyard Dreams finished a length in front of Uptowncharlybrown, who is also entered here. Uptowncharlybrown vied for favoritism with Rule during the betting and was the solid second choice. He was last early and made an outside move only to stall a little. Uptowncharlybrown’s races have been increasingly better and his workout on March 7 suggests he is no worse for the wear. The blinkers go on for a trainer who is 27% with that move the first time.
Odysseus is the horse that could be any kind and there should be a buzz surrounding him come Saturday. He was second in his debut, and then showed up at Gulfstream to break his maiden before shipping to Tampa to win a first level allowance by 15 lengths. He was super impressive and is a top prospect for trainer Tom Albertrani and Padua Stables. The four horses mentioned tower over the other three and each had a speed figure of 91 or 93 in their last. They are likely to complete the superfecta.
Race nine is the Florida Oaks and drew a bigger field of 10, but as with the Tampa Bay Derby only several horses stand out. The favorite is likely to come from one of two horses, She Be Wild and Diva Delite. She Be Wild won the BC Juvenile Fillies last year, but disappointed in her return to the races. She will probably fair better in her second off the layoff, but her wins have only come on a synthetic surface. In contrast, Diva Delite has all her wins on a dirt surface and has won four in a row. In her 14 career starts she has won seven of them and has only been out of the money in one start. She just knows how to win and has responded to every test so far.
The Hillsborough goes as race eight and the Turf Dash as race 10. Lady Shakespeare will hope for firm ground after being scratched a couple of times in the last month, but she is not an overwhelming favorite. Tottie has been very good since coming to North America and is a definite threat. The Turf Dash is a wide-open affair and features the 2009 Tampa Bay Derby winner Musket Man. It would be a good win for the connections after losing stablemate Big Truck earlier this week. They also have Schoolyard Dreams. It should be a great day at the Oldsmar oval.
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