It’s a big sports weekend for Tampa Bay with its beloved Buccaneers playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. The Bucs are slight underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Saturday, Feb. 6, there is a super card of racing at Tampa Bay Downs as it gears up its festival of racing with the Sam F. Davis Stakes, a prep for its signature race, the Tampa Bay Derby.
There are several Canadian-breds and Canadian-trained horses of interest competing on the card, most notably Queen’s Plate contender SMILEY SOBOTKA, the morning line favourite for the Davis. Bred in Ontario by Dave Clancy’s Track West Racing Inc., Smiley Sobotka (Brody’s Cause) is trained by Dale Romans who told Daily Racing Form he believes the colt is a Kentucky Derby contender (first Saturday in May) and ready to go in the 1 1/16 mile Davis.
From DRF: Owned by the Albaugh Family Stable, the colt was very game finishing second in his last of three starts at 2, the Nov. 28 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. He went to the lead shortly after the start, was momentarily overtaken down the backstretch and then again nearing the quarter pole, then resurged to an open lead at the eighth pole. He wound up second when Keepmeinmind, currently among the top-rated Derby hopefuls, rallied from well back to prevail by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 2 race.
“I thought he was a winner there for a minute,” said Romans, whose four Tampa wins from 26 starters all came in stakes. “Looking back, it sure was something nice to build on. I think he’s a really good horse and he impresses me with how he’s run every time and how he’s come back in his training. I’ve got him cranked up for this, so I do think he’s going to run big.”
Kentucky Derby aside, Smiley Sobotka has to be considered in the top 2 early Plate favourites even if the race is not until Aug. 22.
SAM F. DAVIS S.-GIII, $250,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1. Hidden Stash Constitution BBN Racing, LLC Oliver Diaz, Jr. 118
2. Joe Man Joe Uncle Mo Lucky Seven Stable Fisher Villa-Gomez 118
3. Known Agenda Curlin St. Elias Stable Pletcher Velazquez 118
4. Millean Blame Donegal Racing Pletcher Alvarado, Jr. 118
5. Smiley Sobotka Brody’s Cause Albaugh Family Stables LLC Romans Centeno 118
6. Runway Magic Runhappy Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. & Bruce Lunsford Arnold, II Leparoux 118
7. Boca Boy Prospective Kenneth E. Fishbein Winebaugh Gallardo 122
8. Nova Rags Union Rags Michael P. Shanley Mott Camacho 118
9. Candy Man Rocket Candy Ride (Arg) Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc. Mott Alvarado 118
10. Ricochet Tapiture Whiskey Hollow Thoroughbreds, LLC Danner Castanon 118
11. Lucky Law (Ire) No Nay Never Sanford Bacon, Mrs. Paul Shanahan, Horse France Biancone Albarado 118
America & Patrick L. Biancone Racing LLC
12. Last Investment Social Inclusion Beth & Milton Hendry Hendry Santos 118
13. Tiz Tact Toe Tourist David A. Bernsen, LLC Hess, Jr. Quinonez 118
Breeders: 1-Rhineshire Farm LLC, 2-Mike Abraham, 3-St. Elias Stables, LLC, 4-Sierra Farm, 5-Track West Racing Inc., 6-W. Bruce Lunsford & Hill ‘n’ Dale
Farm, 7-Carol Hershe, 8-Michael Shanley, 9-R. S. Evans, 10-Whiskey Hollow Thoroughbreds LLC, 11-The Musically Syndicate, 12-Milton, Beth & Norman
Hendry, 13-Don Alberto Corporation
On the filly side, the 9th race at Tampa on Saturday is the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes and Ontario-breds CURLIN’S CATCH and IL MALOCCHIO are in the field of 10.
Curlin’s Catch (6 to 1), a $430,000 Ocala April 2-year-old purchase by Breeze Easy LLC, won her maiden for trainer Mark Casse at Gulfstream on Jan. 3 with a 71 Beyer Speed Figure. Bred by Sam-Son Farms, the Curlin filly was coming off a 5th place finish in the Princess Elizabeth in which Il Malocchio was second.
IL MALOCCHIO (10 to 1), by Ontario sire Souper Speedy, is a homebred for Orangeville’s Franco Meli. Trained in 2020 by Martin Drexler, Il Malocchio won the Victorian Queen Stakes on turf with a 73 Beyer and was second to Sovereign award finalist dreaming of Drew in the Princess Elizabeth on Tapeta. Ken McPeek has been training the filly at his Summerside Centre since January.
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