The Sam Davis Stakes earns the spotlight Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs and Kentucky Derby dreamers will be looking to earn 10 points toward qualifying for the classic.
This is an early prep for the Kentucky Derby but maybe more importantly, it’s a springboard to the Tampa Bay Derby. Five have exited the Grade 3 $250,000 mile and a sixteenth Sam Davis Stakes to win the local Derby.
Todd Pletcher has owned this race. He has won the Sam Davis Stakes seven times, including last year when his student Destin was victorious. Pletcher will be represented by Fact Finding and Tapwrit and both must be respected.
Officially called the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Destin won this race in 2016 with a 99 Beyer Speed Figure and eventually was second beaten a nose in the Belmont Stakes.
Fact Finding will be trying to run his record to four for four. He has not raced since mid-December but he seems to relish when his races are spaced. He proved he could handle the off going winning his last race and Pletcher opted for this spot instead of the Holy Bull last weekend. Fact Finding looms the major threat. He has speed but doesn’t seem to be speed crazy. He has not missed a beat in the mornings since winning his Gulfstream debut in the $75,000 Smooth Air Stakes.
Tapwrit was educated in this bow at Saratoga. He was rested until November but won in game style graduating and he proved it was no fluke winning his last race in the $75,000 Pulpit at Gulfstream in his 2016 finale. He earned a 78 Beyer for that race.
State of Honor is one of two Mark Casse trainees in the Sam Davis Stakes. This runner breaks from the rail and he lost a heart breaker in his dirt debut last time. He was only beaten a head in the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream just over a month ago while earning a career best 83 Beyer.
The other Casse charge in the Sam Davis Stakes goes from post 2. King and His Court reminds of the name of Eddie Feigner, who assembled the four-man softball team with the same name. I was fortunate enough to see Feigner perform in San Jose, California when I was a young man. I happened to be on a champion softball team at the time but Feigner was special. He could throw strikes past a batter blindfolded from second base. The horse King and His Court has a fast ball of his own. He was Grade 3 placed last year and has won his last two races. With his style, the hotter the pace the better for this runner.
Chance of Luck will be making his first start routing but he has a chance to get the distance as a couple of siblings are proven routers. The colt has natural speed and could show more as trainer Gerald Bennett adds the blinkers.
Six Gun Salute is bringing a knife to a gun fight. He has only won one race. It came by a head sprinting but his pedigree is golden. His sibling Well Armed won the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup and earned over $5.1 million.
Wild Shot has fired every right and showed his class when he was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He has trained forwardly for this but must find a way to turn the tables on McCracken.
That Ian Wilkes student McCracken is undefeated and beat Wild Shot in his 2016 finale. He overcame breaking from the 11 post last time and there seems to be plenty of speed in here to help promote the late kick. McCracken was flattered by the company he kept when he won the Street Sense Stakes. The horse that ran third to him in the Street Sense returned to win the Lecomte Stakes. The horse that ran 4th to McCracken in the Kentucky Jockey Club on November 26 returned to win the Smarty Jones Stakes by over five lengths.
No Dozing should offer value. He has not been seen since running second in the Remsen. He seems comfortable with this surface and should be a legit late factor.
With five stakes winners in this race, it shakes out as a quality undertaking. State of Honor has :45 and change speed as does Chance of Luck. Fact Finding should be in a stalking spot as will Wild Shot and Tapwrit.
There is plenty of velocity in here to help McCracken. He is also in the right hands. His trainer Wilkes knows what to do with a good horse. Wilkes was the exercise rider for Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled and he trained Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned.
McCracken should reel them all in under his talented jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.
