ADMIRALTY PIER loves Tampa Bay Downs. Canada’s Champion 2-year-old of 2017 won the biggest race of his career on Feb. 8 at the Tampa track, taking the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes worth $175,000 in a wild finish. The 5-year-old by English Channel, a Kentucky-bred trained by Woodbine trainer Barbara Minshall, has won 5 races, four at Tampa Bay Downs.

Owned by Hoolie Racing Stable and Bruce Lunsford, the sleek chestnut did battle in many big races at Woodbine in 2019, concentrating on sprint races for a bit in Grade 2 stakes such as the Play the King and Nearctic and then getting burned out in a pace fight in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.

The best Admiralty Pier was on display on Saturday as he refused to let anyone get by despite being swarmed in the stretch run by multiple stakes winner March to the Arch and Chad Brown trainee Devamani. There was a long inquiry after the race as Real Story, who pressed the Pier for half the race, checked out in early stretch and March to the Arch lacked room, but the result stood. Samy Camacho rode Admiralty Pier to victory, but then hit the dirt when the gelding spooked at birds entering the winner’s circle.

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