O’CONNELL ACHIEVES CAREER MILESTONE; TAPIT TRICE IMPRESSES CASSE

By Mike Henry —-

(PHOTO IS COURTESY OF SV PHOTOGRAPHY

OLDSMAR, FL. – Kathleen O’Connell described supplanting Kim Hammond as the No. 1-winning female trainer in North American Thoroughbred racing history as an accomplishment.

For O’Connell’s many fans, including jockey Antonio Gallardo, it represents enough positive memories to fill several scrapbooks.

“I was talking to my wife yesterday and I said I really want it to be me, because she has done a lot for me and my family,” said Gallardo, who burst into prominence in 2013 by winning four consecutive stakes on a single card at Calder Race Course, the last three for O’Connell. She encouraged him to winter at Tampa Bay Downs, and her ongoing support helped him win five riding titles here.

“She has been like my mom. I’m pretty excited,” the rider said.

So were the well-wishers who lined O’Connell’s path to the racetrack after Gallardo scored a half-length victory aboard Florida-bred gelding My Eagle Soars in the 5th race, a sprint for maiden claiming 3-year-olds. The victory was No. 2,386 in the career of O’Connell, breaking a tie with the still-active Hammond.

What was O’Connell thinking about? Maybe the resistance women faced in the industry early in her career, or the amazing stakes victories, or all the beautiful and lasting relationships she has forged in her chosen profession. And maybe her late parents Arlene and Joseph, who wanted her to go to college but supported her career choice every step of the way.

“Everything, and nothing. Because it’s just been a wonderful ride. It’s not only about the destination, it’s the journey getting there,” she said.

O’Connell didn’t have any special instructions for Gallardo beforehand. “I gave him the usual directions – do the best you can with what you’ve got.”

You could tell by Gallardo’s voice how much this meant to him, and by extension, to O’Connell’s friends and rivals. She has always handled victory and defeat with grace and humility, and she has treated each of the horses in her care with the kindness and concern that elevate the sport.

“When he broke good (from the No. 3 post in the 10-horse field) and I put him in gear, he took the bit, and I was like, you know what, I have a lot of chance,” he said. “I made the lead a little bit early because the horse in front of me stopped, and when I felt the horse on my outside (Awesome Prince), I switched my whip to the left and my horse was game. I’m like, I got it, I got it, I got it. But I’m asking for the wire, trust me.”

“So was I,” O’Connell said, laughing.

My Eagle Soars, owned by the Kathleen O’Connell Racing Stable in partnership with P and G Zambelli, Inc., and bred in Florida by Stonehedge LLC, paid $14.40 to win after completing the 6 furlongs in 1:11.86.

O’Connell, who began training on her own in 1981, has twice been the leading trainer at Tampa Bay Downs. She also won a title at Calder. She currently trains about 60 horses between Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park.

She has won nine graded stakes, three from 1997-2000 by Blazing Sword, a product of the late Gilbert G. Campbell’s breeding and racing operation that became synonymous with O’Connell. Among her other graded victories were the 2011 Grade II Tampa Bay Derby, with Watch Me Go; the 2003 Grade II Bonnie Miss Stakes, with Ivanavinalot; the 2019 Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes with Well Defined; and back-to-back runnings of the Grade II Princess Rooney in 2018 and 2019 with Stormy Embrace.

Tapit Trice may go to Blue Grass. Grade III Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapit Trice earned his way into the Kentucky Derby on Saturday with the type of stretch run rarely seen at any level of Thoroughbred racing.

Hall of Fame member Mark Casse, the trainer of runner-up Classic Car Wash, was among those believing they had witnessed something special.

“We moved up inside of him and went past him (about halfway through the race), and it looked like he was backing up,” said Casse, who was seeking his third Tampa Bay Derby victory. “You’re always keeping an eye on the favorite, and I thought he (Tapit Trice) WAS not going anywhere.

“We had a wide trip too, but the winner overcame a lot. I’m not saying he’s a great horse yet, but I’ve always said the difference between the good ones and the great ones is the good ones win when everything goes right and the great ones win despite things going against them. That horse, to me, was very impressive.”

After barreling past Classic Legacy, who finished a good third, Tapit Trice gobbled up the ground between himself and Classic Car Wash, dashing the upset hopes of Casse and jockey Emisael Jaramillo by two lengths.

Expecting the same kind of “last-to-first” rally in a 20-horse field, as is likely on May 6 in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, might be overly optimistic. Tapit Trice’s time of 1:43.37 on a fast track was far from spectacular, although it looked a lot better considering how much ground he lost on the far turn after Saez decided to keep him outside and in the clear.

But rather than debate Kentucky Derby scenarios and strategy in mid-March, the connections of Tapit Trice, as well as many in a Tampa Bay Downs crowd of 6,023, preferred to savor the quality of the effort put forth by the winner and jockey Luis Saez to reward another Hall of Fame conditioner, Todd Pletcher, with his record sixth Tampa Bay Derby triumph.

The victory was worth 50 points in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” standings, moving Tapit Trice into seventh place.

Pletcher, not known for hyperbole, sounded excited about his colt’s potential to move forward from Saturday. Tapit Trice likely will have one more start before the Kentucky Derby, with the Toyota Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland the likely locale.

“Before this race, we talked about taking a look at the Blue Grass because the timing works well,” Pletcher told correspondent Lynne Snierson by telephone. “He’s a horse that I think still needs a little more racing experience to completely put everything together.”

The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby was only the fourth of Tapit Trice’s career and his first in stakes competition. It’s worth noting that Pletcher’s two Kentucky Derby winners, Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017), competed at Tampa Bay Downs before the Run for the Roses, with Super Saver finishing third in the Tampa Bay Derby in his fifth start and Always Dreaming winning a maiden special weight in January of 2017 in his third start.

“He (Tapit Trice) certainly seems like the farther he goes, the stronger he gets,” Pletcher said. “He’s got a big, long stride, and once he got in the clear down the lane he really extended himself and I loved the way he finished up.”

Casse, for now, believes Pletcher’s colt Forte is ahead of the pack in the lead-up to Louisville. The FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance winner and 2-Year-Old Eclipse Award Champion began his sophomore campaign on March 4 at Gulfstream with a 4 ½-length victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

As for Classic Car Wash, who finished third in the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes here four weeks ago, “He has to improve to play with the big boys. But he gets another try. I was proud of him,” added Casse, saying the Blue Grass or the Wood Memorial Stakes on April 8 at Aqueduct are under consideration.

Casse is the trainer of 3-year-old filly Wonder Wheel, who finished second here to Dreaming of Snow in the Feb. 11 Suncoast Stakes. Wonder Wheel won the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall en route to earning an Eclipse Award as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.

Casse has her on track for the Longines Kentucky Oaks on May 5 at Churchill Downs. First is the Ashland Stakes on April 7 at Keeneland. Wonder Wheel is currently at the trainer’s Casse Training Center in Ocala, where she breezed 5 furlongs Friday in 1:00 4/5.

“I thought her race (in the Suncoast) was pretty good, and she just needs to move a little forward,” Casse said.

Around the oval. Leading jockey Samy Camacho rode three winners today. He captured the fourth race on the turf on Possiblemente, a 3-year-old gelding owned by Sabal Racing Stable and trained by Darien Rodriguez.

Camacho won the seventh and eighth races back-to-back. He took the seventh on Ask for Bode, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Rodney M. Miller and trained by Jon Arnett. Camacho won the eighth on the turf aboard Lea Ro, a 6-year-old mare owned by Mike Campbell Racing Stable and trained by Michael B. Campbell.

Pablo Morales rode two winners. He won the third race on first-time starter Jess’s Gypsy Girl, a 4-year-old Florida-bred filly bred and owned by Frank Langdon, III and trained by Tim Hamm. Morales added the ninth and final race on the turf with Take a Break, a 3-year-old filly bred and owned by Stuart S. Janney, III and trained by Claude “Shug” McGaughey, III.

Thoroughbred racing continues Wednesday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:25 p.m. 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.