CAMACHO FINDS ‘BIG A’ TO HIS LIKING DESPITE NARROW STAKES LOSS

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – Leading jockey Samy Camacho relied upon his natural adrenaline to compete at a high level on today’s Tampa Bay Downs card.

After flying to New York Saturday morning to ride Bank Frenzy to a second-place finish in the $200,000 New York Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct, Camacho’s return flight was delayed about two hours. He didn’t get home until 2 a.m.

“I slept half-good because I was tired and half-bad because I didn’t win,” said Camacho, who got to the track in time to work a horse for trainer Gerald Bennett shortly after 8:30 a.m. “But it’s alright because I have tomorrow off, and it was a good experience.”

Camacho posted a second and a third today from five mounts.

Trainer Lisa Lewis named Camacho to ride Bank Frenzy based on his two earlier efforts on the colt, a second in his career debut on Nov. 12 at Gulfstream Park and a maiden victory here on Dec. 24. Bank Frenzy is owned by Phil’s Racing Stable LLC.

Saturday marked the first time the 34-year-old Camacho had ridden at Aqueduct. Two races earlier, he finished fourth on No Regard for trainer John P. Terranova, II in a maiden claiming race.

“A lot of people called me because everybody watches the New York signal,” Camacho said. “It was very special for me to ride there with those top jockeys.”

Camacho and Bank Frenzy just missed catching winner Lifetime of Chance and jockey Dylan Davis in the 6 ½-furlong race, losing by a neck. At 21-1, Bank Frenzy was the longest shot in the field.

A lengthy inquiry followed the race, as Aqueduct’s stewards determined whether Lifetime of Chance had bothered eventual sixth-place finisher Ten Cent Town enough to warrant a disqualification of the winner. The stewards allowed the result to stand.

Camacho dropped his right rein in deep stretch as he attempted to keep Bank Frenzy from lugging out, but did not believe that cost him the race. The way Bank Frenzy was traveling late, it appeared he will appreciate more distance, and Camacho is eager to get a return call from Lewis to ride him.

“I’m happy because she’s happy, and I think he’s going to be real tough in his next race. She (Lewis) knows I am going to ride him 100 percent from the gate to the wire. Even though we didn’t win, I learn something different every day. I keep learning and improving,” he said.

Camacho leads the Tampa Bay Downs standings with 110 victories, clinching his third consecutive title and fourth in five seasons a while back. He will be moving his tack soon to Monmouth Park in New Jersey, where he tied for third in last year’s standings with 41 winners and expects to get a lot of chances from a contingent of Oldsmar trainers planning to compete there. “If I can win the title at Monmouth, I’ll probably stay up north to ride Aqueduct next winter,” he said.

Like the song “Happy Talk” from South Pacific puts it, “You got to have a dream/If you don’t have a dream/How you gonna have a dream come true?”

Around the oval. In today’s co-featured eighth race, the Cody’s Original Roadhouse Race of the Week on the turf, Glen Hill Farm’s 4-year-old filly Saturday Nite Girl found an opening along the inside in the stretch and blasted through for a 1-length victory from Sweet Dutchess. Saturday Nite Girl’s time of 1:33.44 for the mile was .21 seconds off the course record. Jose Ferrer rode Saturday Nite Girl for Glen Hill and trainer Tom Proctor.

That was one of two winners on the day for Ferrer, who won the second race with Barbara, a 4-year-old filly owned by Heehaw Racing and trained by Kathleen Guciardo.

In the co-featured first race, a $28,000 starter/optional claiming event for 3-year-old fillies on the turf, Royal Dame rolled to her third consecutive victory by a 7-length margin from long shot Susie’s Saver. Royal Dame handled the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance in a snappy 1:41.41 under jockey Alonso Quinonez. Darien Rodriguez trains Royal Dame for owners Our Blue Streaks Stable and Acclaimed Racing Stable.

Marcos Meneses rode back-to-back winners today. He won the fifth race for maiden claimers on 4-year-old Florida-bred filly Dudesfirstdarling, owned by Kim H. Deaton and trained by William E. Deaton. Meneses added the sixth on the turf for 3-year-old maiden claimers with Awesome Humor, a 3-year-old gelding owned by Antonio Cordero and Awilda Lopez and trained by Cordero.

Thoroughbred racing continues Wednesday with an eight-race card beginning at 12:46 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.