WinStar Farm LLC and CHC, Inc. JOHN HANCOCK (Consitution) took an early step to possible Kentucky Derby consideration with a hard-fought win in the $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. The Davis, at 1 1/16 miles, is that track’s prep for the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), a race that could lead to the first Saturday in May.
Over a dirt track that was decidedly speed biased, John Hancock, making his second career start for trainer Brad Cox, was strong out of the gate and dragged Flavien Prat to the lead by the first turn.
Despite being pressured almost the entire way by Owen Almighty and Irad Ortiz, Jr., John Hancock summoned an extra measure of resolve late to post a half-length victory. His time of 1:42.27 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance is a stakes record, lowering the former mark of 1:42.44 set by Flameaway in 2018.
The stalkers and stretch runners POSTER (Munnings) and CAMP HALE (Mo Town) had good efforts to finish third and fourth.
John Hancock earned 20 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” qualifying points with the triumph.
John Hancock’s career debut came on Jan. 8 in a 6-furlong maiden special weight race at Tampa Bay Downs. He won going gate-to-wire in a very good time of 1:09.45, but Cox knew he was taking a chance today.
“It was his first time facing winners, it was the second start of his life, it was his first time going long,” Cox said by phone after the victory. “It was a lot to ask from a young horse. He took a lot of pressure and stayed on well. I’m very, very impressed with him. He fought off a horse (Owen Almighty) that had multiple starts and was a stakes winner. It was a big, big move forward for him and I’m very proud of the effort.
“We had a race over the track and broke our maiden on it, but we were a little short on seasoning. Once again, his talent showed up and it was a very big effort. This is a nice race to win and setting the new stakes record on top of it is very nice.”
Prat said John Hancock went out faster than he would have liked and he was caught between letting his natural talent take over and endeavoring to save enough for the finish.
“He (Owen Almighty) did get ahead of me at the 1/8 pole,” Prat said. “My horse was pretty aggressive going into the first turn, but he switched off nice on the backside. The both of us made a very good run turning for home, but my horse was very game after we got headed and came back.”
Brian Lynch, the trainer of Owen Almighty, believed his horse didn’t lose much except the race and thinks he can continue on his current path after earning 10 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points. Owen Almighty wore blinkers for the first time.
“He tried, he did give it everything he had,” Lynch said of his horse, who is owned by Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing. “He just got beat by a better horse today. We’ll take a deep breath and let the dust settle. I think our horse tried as hard as he can, maybe he’s a little discouraged but I don’t think he’s old enough yet to have worked all that out.
A son of Constitution, John Hancock is from the winning Freud mare Scribbling Sarah, who has produced four other named foals and three other winners. One of her earlier foals, Speech, won the 2020 Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. Second dam Plinking is from Holy Wish, who produced nine winners including four stakes winners, one of which was Grade 3 winner Wishful Tomcat.
Woodbine’s leading trainer MARK CASSE was hoping for a good three-year-old debut from Tracy Farmer’s filly LA CARA (Street Sense) in the Suncoast Stakes earlier on the stakes-laden card. He got it.
La Cara set a stakes record of 1:38.51 with Dylan Davis aboard in her $150,000 mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes tour-de-force in which she finished 6 ¼ lengths ahead of Her Laugh, who overcame a hop at the start to gain the place. Deloraine finished third and Italian Soiree was fourth.
La Cara, who is owned by Tracy Farmer, her breeder, is three-for-seven including the Grade III Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs in September. Casse said the convincing victory will make him basically forget a puzzling fifth-place finish in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
“I was disappointed in her at the Breeders’ Cup. I felt going in she had a legitimate chance and she just spun her wheels,” Casse said. “She came back training really well, and our gang at Palm Meadows, Nick Tomlinson and crew, did a great job with her. Her last few works have been really good.
“I was expecting a good effort, but this was beyond my expectations. The Farmers have been so good to us. This is a homebred, and I trained her mom [Cara Caterina], who could not outrun you or I. La Cara is her first foal, but she has a tremendous pedigree, so [the racetrack gene] skipped a generation.”
La Cara’s second dam, Pilfer, is the dam of Grade 1 winners To Honor and Serve and Angela Renee. Third dam Misty Hour won the Glorious Song Stakes at Woodbine for Sam-Son Farms in 1997.
More News
