DELGADO WINS 3 IN A ROW; ENGLER, CASTANON HIGH ON INDIMAAJ

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – Former jockey Jose H. Delgado sent out three consecutive winners on today’s card, pulling to within one victory of leader Gerald Bennett in the Tampa Bay Downs trainer standings.

Each of Delgado’s victories came with horses owned by the Carole Star Stables outfit of his father-in-law, retired schoolteacher Bob Apicelli. Delgado, who finished fourth with his other starter, has 11 winners from 37 starters at the meeting.

The first victory for Delgado and Carole Star today came in the sixth race with Mister Storm, a 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding ridden by Antonio Gallardo. Armando’s Team, a 3-year-old Florida-bred gelding ridden by Samy Camacho, won the seventh race on the turf, followed by Lights Down Low’s victory in the eighth with Isaac Castillo aboard.

The 4-year-old Florida-bred filly Lights Down Low was claimed from the race for $6,250 by new owner-trainer Arnoud Dobber.

Stakes try may be next for Indimaaj. After watching his 5-year-old horse Indimaaj toy with six opponents at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 4 in an allowance/$16,000 optional claiming race, trainer Jeff Engler knew a step up in class was the logical move.

Indimaaj affirmed Engler’s confidence, turning today’s second race into another walk in the park. He won the allowance/$32,000 optional claiming event in 1:39.39, .53 seconds off the track record for the mile-and-40-yard distance. “I was looking forward to this race to see how good he is, and he proved he is a pretty nice horse,” Engler said.

“(Jockey) Jesus (Castanon) said he keeps getting better, so we’re excited. Very excited, because this was a much tougher race,” Engler said. “Let’s see how he comes out of this race, but if he comes out of it good, then the process starts of what’s next, where and how do we train him into it.”

Engler said it’s likely a stakes race is in the gray Kentucky-bred’s future. “He obviously loves this track. … We’ll find a good spot for him and then we’ll really see what he’s got. He exceeded my expectations today,” Engler said.

Indimaaj carried co-top weight of 125 pounds.

“I didn’t really get into him too much today,” said Castanon, who is also eager to see how Indimaaj fares in stakes company. “I knew he was going to give me his race whenever he was ready, but he surprised me. He really was ready and he wanted to go any time I asked him.”

Castanon allowed Indimaaj to settle into stride behind the pace-setters up the backstretch before launching his bid around the quarter-mile pole, and he was going best of all through the stretch, winning by 4 3/4 lengths from Tudox Expectations. Downtowner finished third in the six-horse field.

Owner Bill Cosgrove’s Lea Farms operation purchased Indimaaj, now 3-for-15, for $37,000 at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. The Dec. 4 victory was the first in nine starts for Indimaaj under Lea Farms and Engler, although he had three seconds and a third.

Indimaaj had been off for more than eight months before the sale. “His pedigree is outstanding (by Tapit, out of the Grade I winner Lear’s Princess) and his form had been good, but he had a little problem with his feet. We went to work on them and it’s paying off,” Engler said.

Engler, who keeps a string of about 25 horses at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, also trains the promising 2-year-old gelding Willy Boi, who won his first lifetime start Dec. 10 in a maiden special weight race sprinting 6 furlongs at Gulfstream Park for Engler and Lea Farms.

Around the oval. A $27,500 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies and a $22,750 conditional allowance for horses 3-years-old-and-upward highlight Thursday’s nine-race card, which begins at 12:15 p.m.

Tampa Bay Downs will be closed Friday, Christmas Day, then return to action Saturday with a 10-race card beginning at 12:13 p.m. Saturday is the first day of the track’s popular “Calendar Giveaway,” with the 2021 edition of the Tampa Bay Downs calendar presented to the first 10,000 patrons (with paid admission). The giveaway continues through Wednesday, Dec. 30, or when supplies run out.

Thursday’s maiden special weight race, the sixth on the card, is at a distance of a mile-and-40-yards. The 9-5 post-time favorite in the seven-horse field is Diamond Ore, who has a second and a third from three career starts, all at Woodbine. Diamond Ore is trained by Barbara Minshall and will be ridden by Samy Camacho.

Trainer Eoin Harty will send out two horses for owner Godolphin, Zarella and Scenic Overlook. Zarella, who will be ridden by Tomas Mejia, has finished second twice in three starts, most recently on Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

The conditional allowance is the seventh race and is scheduled at a mile on the turf course. The 3-1 morning-line favorite is the 3-year-old gelding Kendama, trained by Arnaud Delacour. Kendama broke her maiden in July at Laurel and was third in her most recent start, the Oct. 9 Bert Allen Stakes at Laurel.

With the exception of Christmas and Easter Sunday, April 4, Tampa Bay Downs is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.

Mike Henry