TAMPA BAY: SATURDAY SPRINT SHOWCASE FEATURES RETURN OF FTBOA STAKES WINNERS

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – After stepping up in competition on Jan. 23 in the Grade III Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park, 4-year-old Florida-bred colt Shivaree is set to return to Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday for the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes.

The Jacks or Better Farm-owned homebred, who is trained by Ralph Nicks, won the 7-furlong Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Marion County Florida Sire Stakes here on Dec. 12. He was a decent fourth in the 1-mile Fred W. Hooper. Shivaree will again be ridden by Roberto Alvarado, Jr.

The Pelican is the ninth race on a 10-race Sprint Showcase card beginning at 12:19 p.m.

Shivaree will face seven opponents, including 7-year-old gelding Cool Arrow, who won the Grade III Smile Sprint Stakes three starts back on Sept. 5 at Gulfstream. The $600,000-plus earner will be ridden by Antonio Gallardo for owner My Purple Haze Stables and trainer Terri Pompay.

The Pelican is one of two stakes Saturday. The other, the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes for older fillies and mares, is slated as the third race and sports a field of six, headed by My Purple Haze’s and Pompay’s 6-year-old Florida-bred mare Heiressall, who won the FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes here on Dec. 12 in her most recent start.

Gallardo will ride Heiressall, who will face five rivals. That group includes Team Equistaff’s 4-year-old filly The Goddess Lyssa, who followed her third-place finish in the City of Ocala with a sterling 10-length victory here on Jan. 6 in a conditional allowance/optional claiming event in a time of 1:09.33, .66 seconds off the Tampa Bay Downs track record.

Daniel Centeno will again ride The Goddess Lyssa for Team Equistaff and leading Oldsmar trainer Gerald Bennett.

Shivaree spent the early part of 2020 on the Triple Crown trail, with consecutive second-place finishes at Gulfstream in the Grade III Swale Stakes, the Hutcheson and the Grade I Curlin Florida Derby, the latter to subsequent Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and Runhappy Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law. After a three-month layoff following his last-place finish in the Grade I Travers, Shivaree seems to be regaining his early 3-year-old form.

Edgemont Road, who has won three of his last four starts, and Zenden, who finished fourth in the 2019 Grade II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, are likely to attract a fair share of wagering dollars in the Pelican. The 5-year-old geldings finished 1-2 here on Jan. 15 in a 6-furlong, allowance/optional claiming race, with Edgemont Road rallying for a head victory.

Hector Diaz, Jr., will ride Edgemont Road, who is trained by Eddie Kenneally. Samy Camacho will ride Zenden, trained by Carlos David.

Also entered in the Pelican is 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding Souper Stonehenge, who finished second in the Grade II Kennedy Road Stakes on Nov. 21 at Woodbine in Toronto. Owned by Live Oak Plantation and trained by Mark Casse, Souper Stonehenge will be ridden by Jose Ferrer.

In the Minaret, 6-year-old mare Bronx Beauty, owned by 2W Stables and trained by Anthony Margotta, Jr., will tackle the Oldsmar dirt surface for the first time while seeking her 11th career victory. Isaac Castillo will ride Bronx Beauty, who finished second by a head in the Grade III Sugar Swirl Stakes on Dec. 12 at Gulfstream.

Around the oval. Antonio Gallardo rode three winners today, moving him ahead of Samy Camacho 54-53 in the Tampa Bay Downs jockey standings. Camacho had two winners.

Gallardo won the third race on Crown of Joy, a 6-year-old Florida-bred mare bred and owned by Peggy J. Follin and trained by Kathleen O’Connell. Gallardo returned to the winner’s circle after the seventh with Ridgelysredhot, a 4-year-old filly owned and trained by Ron G. Potts.

In the ninth and final race on the turf, Gallardo triumphed on And Won, a 6-year-old Florida-bred ridgling owned by In The Green Stables and trained by Anthony Granitz.

Camacho captured the first race on Exchequer, a 5-year-old gelding owned by Winning Stables and Arnoriver Racing and trained by Gerald Bennett. Exchequer was claimed from the race for $8,000 by new owner-trainer Jeffrey Poole.

Camacho added the sixth race on the turf with Madame Moon, a 4-year-old filly owned by Veb Racing Stable Corp and trained by Victor Barboza, Jr.

Trainer David Van Winkle sent out two winners. He won the second race with Astronaut Oscar, a 5-year-old horse owned by Peter D. Mattson and ridden by Alonso Quinonez. Van Winkle won the sixth with Central Park, a 5-year-old gelding owned by James Thares and ridden by Chad Lindsay.

In today’s featured eighth race, an allowance/$75,000 optional claiming event at a mile on the turf, 3-year-old filly Queen of the Green staged a powerful stretch rally to defeat Shawdyshawdyshawdy by a length-and-a-half. Roberto Alvarado, Jr., rode Queen of the Green for owner NBS Stable and trainer Jon Arnett.

Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:15 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs currently races on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule. The track 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