OWEN ALMIGHTY TRIES TO LEAVE OLDSMAR FANS WITH GLORIOUS MEMORIES

By Mike Henry —-

(PHOTO OF NO. 6 OWEN ALMIGHTY FINISHING SECOND TO JOHN HANCOCK IN SAM F. DAVIS STAKES COURTESY SV PHOTOGRAPHY)
OWEN ALMIGHTY TRIES TO LEAVE OLDSMAR FANS WITH GLORIOUS MEMORIES

OLDSMAR, FL. – It could be argued that 3-year-old colt Owen Almighty has been the hard-luck horse of the current Tampa Bay Downs meet.

He finished a length ahead of Naughty Rascal on Jan. 11 in the Pasco Stakes, but was disqualified and placed fifth for coming in and bumping Rookie Card near the 3/8-mile pole, giving the victory to Naughty Rascal.

Stretching out from 7 furlongs to a mile-and-a-sixteenth, Owen Almighty ran an even better race on Feb. 8 in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, only to come up a half-length short against trainer Brad Cox’s John Hancock after a riveting stretch duel.

Brian Lynch, the trainer of Owen Almighty, won’t go so far as to say Tampa Bay Downs owes Owen Almighty one. But he has no doubt the Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing-owned star deserves a chance to prove his quality in Saturday’s 45th running of the Grade III, $400,000-guaranteed Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby with Irad Ortiz, Jr., again in the saddle.

Chances are, Owen Almighty will again need to be at the top of his game to earn the victory. He will face the 1-2 Chad Brown-trained duo of Chancer McPatrick, a two-time Grade I winner as a 2-year-old who is ranked No. 4 on Byron King’s BloodHorse Top 12 Derby Dozen Presented by Spendthrift, and No. 11-ranked Hill Road, who finished third last fall at Del Mar in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

And, for good measure, he will again face Oldsmar trainer Gerald Bennett’s Florida-bred colt Naughty Rascal – who briefly threatened the Sam F. Davis top two on the turn for home before dropping back to sixth – as well as three others.

Lynch believes his horse is up for the challenge.

“He (Owen Almighty) is coming out of his last race as good as we could have hoped, and he has trained on well since that race,” said Lynch, who won the then-Grade II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and then-Grade III Sam F. Davis in 2022 with Classic Causeway. “So we’re excited about bringing him back to Tampa to give him another try.”

While Cox elected to give John Hancock more time before his next start, Lynch is confident Owen Almighty can handle the demands of another high-level race four weeks after the Sam F. Davis.

“There’s always a concern when a horse runs as hard as he did, but he may have had more race experience (than John Hancock) to absorb it a little better,” said Lynch, who plans to send Owen Almighty from his Palm Meadows Training Center base in Boynton Beach to Oldsmar the morning of the race. “He’s given us every sort of vibe to say ‘let’s have another go.’ ”

The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby awards 50 points to the winner on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series determining the 20 qualifiers for the Run for the Roses on May 3. The mile-and-a-sixteenth event on the Oldsmar main track is one of five stakes races on a 12-race card beginning at noon Saturday.

Also on tap are the Grade II, $225,000-guaranteed Hillsborough Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward at a distance of a mile-and-an-eighth on the turf course; the Grade III, $200,000-guaranteed Florida Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf; the Grade III, $125,000-guaranteed Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes, for horses 4-and-upward at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main track; and the $125,000-guaranteed Columbia Stakes, for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf.

The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby is the 11th race on the card. Owen Almighty drew the No. 1 post position in the seven-horse field (see below).

General admission tickets are $15. The gates open at 10 a.m. General admission is $15. Each patron receives a “Mystery Mutuel Voucher” worth anywhere from $5-$1,000.

Tickets may be purchased online; click https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tampa-bay-downs-festival-day-45-tickets-1084288348639?aff=oddtdtcreator to get started.

Although the winner of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby will be virtually assured of having enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, Lynch and Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing owner Travis Boersma have elected to remove Owen Almighty from the Kentucky Derby trail, looking to focus on 7-furlong and 1-mile stakes after Saturday.

“He’s probably got some distance limitations,” said Lynch, referring to the Kentucky Derby’s mile-and-a-quarter, “and there are some very good (stakes) races for 3-year-olds over the summer at those distances.”

Right now, Lynch is craving Saturday’s opportunity to bring Owen Almighty home as a graded-stakes winner. His two victories as a 2-year-old came in his career debut in a maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs and the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes at Ellis Park. He finished second to Jonathan’s Way in his third start, the Grade III Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 14 at Churchill.

“We’d not trade spots with anyone. He deserves another chance to win a race like this, and the Tampa Bay Derby is a prestigious race at a great little track,” Lynch said.

“He has run well over that track, but he’s the sort of horse who wherever you’re going to take him, he’s going to show up. He’s not in love with one racetrack – he’s just a racehorse.”

Here is the field for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

Owen Almighty, Brian Lynch, Irad Ortiz, Jr.; 2. Chancer McPatrick, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat; 3. Hill Road, Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione; 4. Brodeur, Mark Casse, Jose Ortiz; 5. Filoso, Chad Summers, Dylan Davis; 6. Naughty Rascal, Gerald Bennett, Samy Camacho; 7. Patch Adams, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux.

Here is the field for the Hillsborough Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

Sparkle Blue, H. Graham Motion, Jorge Ruiz; 2. Avenue Niel, Michael Trombetta, Lanfranco Dettori; 3. She’s Fire, Kevin Rice, Israel Rodriguez; 4. Venencia, Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione; 5. Victoria’s Dancer, Juan Carlos Avila, Sonny Leon; 6. Spaliday, Chad Brown, Jose Ortiz; 7. Gimme a Nother, H. Graham Motion, Irad Ortiz, Jr.; 8. Saffron Moon, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat; 9. Eternal Silence, Christophe Clement, Joel Rosario; 10. Damaso, Kathleen O’Connell, Daniel Centeno.

Here is the field for the Florida Oaks in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

Smart Union, H. Graham Motion, Daniel Centeno; 2. Brillante, Chad Brown, Samy Camacho; 3. Deloraine, Eoin Harty, Jesus Castanon; 4. Miss Rummikub, Leandro Moreno-Barban, Inoel Beato; 5. Love You Anyway, George “Rusty” Arnold, II, Rajiv Maragh; 6. Lush Lips, Brendan Walsh, Tyler Gaffalione; 7. Opulent Restraint, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat; 8. Smudge, Mark Casse, Dylan Davis; 9. Nitrogen, Mark Casse, Jose Ortiz; 10. Pretty Lavish, H. Graham Motion, Irad Ortiz, Jr.; 11. Celtic Motif, Brendan Walsh, Lanfranco Dettori; 12. Miavana, Michael Maker, Joel Rosario.

Here is the field for the Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

Life Is Precious, Gerald Bennett, Daniel Centeno; 2. O Captain, Carlos Narvaez, Samuel Marin; 3. Instant Coffee, Chad Summers, Dylan Davis; 4. El Principito, Gerald Bennett, Samy Camacho; 5. Patriot Spirit, Michael Campbell, Irad Ortiz, Jr.; 6. Most Wanted, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux; 7. Bendoog, Bill Mott, Flavien Prat; 8. Skippylongstocking, Saffie A. Joseph, Jr., Tyler Gaffalione.

Here is the field for the Columbia Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

Early Adopter, Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione; 2. Tapirs Valor, Tim Hamm, Cipriano Gil; 3. Sky Masterson, Gary Contessa, Scott Spieth; 4. Reagan’s Wit, Cherie DeVaux, Jose Ortiz; 5. Peace Cloud, Tim Hamm, Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.; 6. Zulu Kingdom, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat; 7. Versus, Kelly Breen, Lanfranco Dettori; 8; Revolutionnaire, Christophe Clement, Joel Rosario; 9. Dream On, Mark Casse, Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Around the oval. Jesus Castanon rode two winners today. He captured the first race on Skyloft, a 3-year-old gelding owned by Ballybrit Stable and trained by Mike Dini. Castanon added the third race aboard Victory Girl, a 4-year-old filly owned by Robert Knych and Matthew Knych and trained by John Pimental.

Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:40 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs races Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and is open every day except April 20, Easter, 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.