Sole Volante, Chance It Top Tampa Bay Derby Probables

Sole Volante, winner of the Feb. 8 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3), is expected to head the field for the March 7, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2), a Road to the Kentucky Derby points race and the main event on a stakes-laden afternoon of racing at Tampa Bay Downs.

A 3-year-old Karakontie  gelding, Sole Volante is trained by Patrick Biancone, who won the Feb. 29 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park with Ete Indien. He improved to 3-for-4 with his Sam F. Davis score, punctuated by a powerful move around the far turn and a strong finish that resulted in a 2 1/2-length victory from previously unbeaten Independence Hall. He is currently ranked No. 2 on Steve Haskin’s Derby Dozen Presented by Shadwell Farm, a list of top Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) prospects.

Sole Volante will be ridden in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby by Florent Geroux, replacing Sam F. Davis-winning jockey Luca Panici, who suffered a broken collarbone in a fall at Gulfstream Feb. 21. Geroux was also aboard Ete Indien in the Fountain of Youth.

Sole Volante is owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing in partnership with Biancone’s daughter and assistant, Andie Biancone, and Limelight Stables. He worked seven furlongs Feb. 26 in 1:23 on turf at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida.

“After he won (the Sam F. Davis), we needed to see how he recovered and then take the best route possible,” Biancone said Saturday. “So we chose to come back to Tampa because, No. 1, he likes the track; No. 2, the people in Tampa are very nice; and No. 3, he is in good form and he improved in his last race.”

The Tampa Bay Derby picked up another likely entrant in the Florida-bred colt Chance It, a scratch from Fountain of Youth because of concerns about starting from the outside post.

Chance It, who is owned by Shooting Star Thoroughbreds and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., is 4-for-6 lifetime with three stakes victories, including the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream in his last start.

Other probable Tampa Bay Derby runners, according to Tampa officials, include the Godolphin homebred Spa City, a son of 2007 Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense , from the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin; Louisiana-bred stakes-winning colt Relentless Dancer, trained by Michael Maker; Maker's Mo Mosa, a recent maiden special weight winner at Turfway Park; Letmeno, trained by Ian Wilkes; and King Guillermo, from the barn of Juan Carlos Avila.

The 40th edition of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, run on the main track at a distance of 1 1/16 miles, is one of five stakes on the Festival Day card, which offers a cool $1-million in stakes purse money.

Three of the four other stakes are also graded: the $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T), the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3T), and the $100,000 Challenger Stakes (G3). The fifth stakes is the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf.