Sam F. Davis headlines stakes triple at Tampa Bay

Three year olds in Florida will try and advance on the Kentucky Derby trail as eight runners will compete in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.  Noble Cornerstone comes into the Sam F. Davis with just two races under his belt, but both have been fantastic efforts.  The Wesley Ward trainee broke his maiden first time out at Aqueduct before shipping west to Remington Park to run in the Springboard Mile, a race he ran a very strong second in, beaten only a neck.  Kent Desormeaux will have the ride on Noble Cornerstone.  Chad Brown will send out Cousin Stephen who was an impressive maiden breaker two back.  He ran fifth last time out in what many believe was the top three year old allowance run this winter at Gulfstream Park.  Asserting Bear is one of a pair of Woodbine shippers who will be making their first start on dirt, the other being Matador who’s drawn the far outside.  Asserting Bear won the $250,000 Coronation Futurity and was second in a stakes last time.  Those were both on polytrack and both were against state-breds, so he will be testing open company for the first time in three starts.

The Grade 3 South Tampa Bay Stakes and the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes make up the other stakes events on the card.  The South Tampa Bay Stakes is for older runners on the grass and drew a full cast of twelve runners.  Salto and Luis Saez could be one of the horses to beat in the South Tampa as they not only have good tactical speed, but have competed well against solid competition.  He was just beat a head by Mr. Online in the El Prado Stakes last start and three starts back was fourth in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf behind Point of Entry and Animal Kingdom.  Philly Ace was fifth behind Salto in the El Prado but was making his first start in over a year.  Previous to that layoff he had won the Grade 3 Tropical Turf at Calder, so class certainly isn’t the issue.  The $100,000 Suncoast Stakes is for three year old fillies and features Nesso who was recently an impressive winner of the Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay.  It was her first local try but she has faded late in route races in her career, so the mile and 40 yards could be not her best situation.

BetPTC.com Selections for the Sam F. Davis

1. Cousin Stephen
2. Noble Cornerstone
3. Imaginethatmom

Longshot: Matador

BetPTC.com Selections for the Suncoast

1. Please Explain
2. Nesso
3. Light Bringer

Longshot: Playful Love

BetPTC.com Selections for the South Tampa Bay Stakes

1. Salto
2. Super Chunky
3. Riding The Rive

Longshot: Humble and Hungry

Grade 1 Las Virgenes is Saturday at Santa Anita 

Santa Anita will showcase two big graded stakes on Saturday, with the Grade 1 Las Virgenes for three year old fillies the headlining event.  Grade 1 winner Streaming will look to run her record to a perfect three for three in her young career.  She was a good maiden breaker before grabbing the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet last time out.  Streaming bested Taste Like Candy in the Hollywood Starlet, but Taste Like Candy came right back to finish a good second in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez last time out.  They’ve drawn the outside two post positions in the field of eight with Taste Like Candy in the 7 spot and Streaming in the 8 hole.  Fashion Plate is an interesting runner for trainer Simon Callaghan.  Fashion Plate seemed to wake up when getting on the dirt at Santa Anita with a huge wire to wire score last time out.

The Grade 2 Arcadia on the grass for older runners and drew a solid field of ten runners.  Winning Prize just missed by three quarters of a length in the Grade 2 Citation Handicap last time out.  Winning Prize will get Rafael Bejarano back in the irons who was aboard him for his last win, a huge optional claiming score at Del Mar last summer.  Suggestive Boy drew right to the inside of Winning Prize and won this race last year.  He followed up the Arcadia score with a Grade 1 score in the Kilroe Mile before heading to the sidelines.  Unbridled’s Note can’t be overlooked either.  He’ll be stretching out in the Arcadia as he’s been one of the king’s of the hillside turf course over the years and is coming off a score in the Grade 3 Daytona.

BetPTC.com Selections for the Las Virgenes

1. Fashion Plate
2. Streaming
3. Taste Like Candy

Longshot: Sushi Empire

BetPTC.com Selections for the Arcadia

1. Winning Prize
2. Regally Ready
3. Vagabond Shoes

Longshot: Procurement

Hutcheson draws ten sprinters at Gulfstream

The Hutcheson Stakes drew ten three-year-olds to compete at seven furlongs in the $200,000 event on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.  Wildcat Red is a stakes winner at Gulfstream Park by virtue of his Juvenile Sprint score in November.  He followed that up with a second place finish in the Gulfstream Park Derby last time out.  He will get the services of Javier Castellano in the Hutcheson who will be riding this horse for the first time.  C. Zee is coming off a solid second place finish in the Spectacular Bid Stakes last time out at Gulfstream.  He closed in from fourth early on and the Hutcheson will mark his first time stretching out to seven furlongs.  Gamblers Ghost is just a maiden breaker but was a dominating one at that and got a big speed figure for that effort.  Gulfstream Park is a track that lends itself towards giving speed horses an advantage and Gamblers Ghost could be dangerous.

Tightend Touchdown will make his 2014 debut in the Gulfstream Turf Sprint which is one race before the Hutcheson.  Tightend Touchdown was second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint behind Mizdirection last time out and was never off the board in 2013 in nine attempts on the track.  Determinato will be up front contesting the pace with Tightend Touchdown and is 3 for 4 at Gulfstream Park and 5 for 9 at this sprint distance and on the grass.

BetPTC.com Selections for the Hutcheson Stakes

1. Gamblers Ghost
2. Wildcat Red
3. Pablo Del Monte

Longshot: Trail Blaze

BetPTC.com Selections for the Gulfstream Turf Sprint

1. Tightend Touchdown
2. Determinato
3. Varsity

Longshot: Bold Thunder

Saturday Stakes Action at BetPTC.com 

Delta Downs

Race 4                 La. Premier Night Starlet                     8:08pm EST

Race 6                  La. Premier Night Prince                     9:03pm EST

Race 7                  La. Premier Night Sprint                      9:32pm EST

Race 8                  La. Premier Night Distaff                     10:00pm EST

Race 9                  La. Premier Night Matron                    10:28pm EST

Race 10               La. Premier Night Championship           10:55pm EST

Fair Grounds

Race 7                  Battle of New Orleans Stakes              4:55pm EST

Race 8                  Happy Ticket Stakes                              5:25pm EST

Gulfstream

Race 9                  Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint                 4:33pm EST

Race 10                Hutcheson Stakes                             5:03pm EST

Oaklawn Park

Race 8                  Martha Washington Stakes               4:38pm EST

Sam Houston

Race 8                  Tomball Stakes                                  11:02pm EST

Santa Anita

Race 7                  Las Virgenes Stakes                           6:30pm EST

Race 8                  Arcadia Stakes                                  7:00pm EST

Sunland Park

Race 10       Budweiser Handicap                                    6:03pm EST

Tampa Bay

Race 8                  Suncoast Stakes                                3:55pm EST

Race 9                  Sam F. Davis Stakes                           4:25pm EST

Race 10              Lamholm Tampa Bay Stakes                4:55pm EST

 

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