MARIN MAKES BID AT HISTORY BEFORE SETTLING FOR FIVE VICTORIES

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – The old racetrack saying “A short price beats a long face” is applying on a regular basis to leading Tampa Bay Downs jockey Samuel Marin.
The track’s defending jockey champion began today by winning on his first four mounts, three of those victories coming with well-timed, come-from-behind rallies.
After the 24-year-old Marin won the sixth race on 4-year-old filly Ask the Monarch, racing fans with long memories, a sense of history or both began to imagine the unimaginable: a 7-for-7 performance to match a Thoroughbred milestone first achieved here on March 15, 1980 by Richard DePass, when the track was called Florida Downs.
Other jockeys to go 7-for-7 on a single card include Frankie Dettori, in 1996 on Champions Day at Ascot in England; Russell Baze in 2006 at Bay Meadows; Cliff Berry in 2010 at Remington Park; and Tim Moccasin in 2001 at Marquis Downs.
When Marin went to the lead in the seventh race on the turf on 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding Makoa rounding the turn for home, it looked as if he might be poised to chase a special kind of history in the late daily double, 46 years after the feat by DePass.
But Charlie Marquez, who turns 23 on Sunday, and his 5-year-old gelding Standpoint had different ideas.
Marquez, who had ridden Standpoint to a similar come-from-behind victory here on Dec. 31, kept pushing and scrubbing to make up the deficit, and he prevailed by a neck in the 1-mile event to end Marin’s dream.
“I didn’t think my horse was going to get beat,” Marin said immediately after the race. “But he kind of started waiting on other horses when he opened up a 2-length lead, and horses that wait on other horses like that usually get beat.
“At the 3/8-pole, I thought he would just gallop away because he opened up on his own. (Winning seven races) would be a dream come true, but I ride my horses with a lot of confidence and am always hopeful I can win every race.”
Marquez, perhaps not old enough to be a sentimentalist, wasn’t paying attention to Marin’s quest to make history. “I’m not really worried about him. I’m just worried about myself and what I’m going to do.
“My horse is honest and I think he gets brave when we can get him outside, so that was the game plan today,” Marquez said. “He had already proven himself to me and I know when I get him out, he’s going to keep on running. He was full of run and I knew he was going to get there.”
OK, so Marin finished seventh in the eighth race on Bati King before capturing the ninth and final on the turf on betting favorite Eldest Son, giving him his third five-victory day at Tampa Bay Downs. It sure was a thrill watching him pursue a hallowed place in the sport’s record books.
Marin’s easiest victory might have come in the first race, when he guided 4-year-old filly Sunset Harbour, the 19-10 favorite, to a ¾-length victory from Twin Empire. After not riding the second, Marin engineered a thrilling nose victory in the third on 9-10 favorite Ball of Fire with an expertly timed final surge that relegated Elston Gunnn and his rider Marcos Meneses to second, a nose behind.
Marin did not ride the fourth race, then won the fifth on the turf on 4-year-old colt Persisten, the 3-1 second choice, by a neck from Reteko, the betting favorite. When Marin won the sixth on Ask the Monarch, turning back a stern challenge from Blue Fashion, it was time for many – including the jockey himself, perhaps – to dream the impossible dream.
Around the oval. With temperatures in the Tampa Bay area expected to drop Monday, Sunday seems like the ideal day for Tampa Bay Downs to begin its series of “Mouse’s Kids & Family Days” celebrations in the Backyard Picnic Area, just north of the paddock.
Fans are encouraged to bring the entire family for a fun-filled afternoon of Thoroughbred racing and other activities geared toward first-time visitors, children and patrons eager to experience the extras that make the Oldsmar oval more than a racetrack.
Those attending will have an opportunity to meet the track mascot, “Mouse the Miniature Horse,” as well as enjoy pony rides, bounce houses and a variety of games and activities. Buzzy’s Food Truck will also be on hand with delicious food and beverages.
Admission to the Backyard Picnic Area is free of charge and patrons can bring their own food and coolers (glass containers are prohibited).
It’s a low-key way for fans to expand their knowledge and appreciation of the sport. Subsequent “Mouse’s Kids & Family Days” will be held on Feb. 1, Feb. 15, Feb. 22, March 1, March 22 and April 12. Post time for the first race is 12:35 p.m.