Carpe Diem Faces Ocean Knight in Tampa Derby

The decision by Stonestreet Stables to have undefeated Ocean Knight bypass the March 7 Gotham Stakes (gr. III) in favor of the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) the same day sets up a showdown between that colt and Carpe Diem, owned by Stonestreet and WinStar Farms.



A son of Stonestreeet's two-time Horse of the Year Curlin  , Ocean Knight had been expected to ship to New York for the Gotham at Aqueduct Racetrack. But considering that Ocean Knight already has an impressive victory win at Tampa Bay Downs in the Sam F. Davis Jan. 31, Stonestreet's Barbara Banke and team decided to keep the colt in Florida Saturday.



The 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, a points system that will help determine the field for the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 2 at Churchill Downs. Kentucky Derby points of 50-20-10-5 will be awarded to the respective first- through fourth-place finishers Saturday.



With an approximate post time of 5:23 p.m. (ET), the Tampa Bay Derby drew nine entries and is the 11th race on a card that includes the $200,000 Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT) for 3-year-old fillies, the $150,000 Hillsborough Stakes for older fillies and mares on the turf; and the $60,000 Challenger Stakes for older horses.



Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Ocean Knight posted his second victory in as many starts when he overcame the No. 11 post position and a wide trip to win the Davis under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Ortiz is back aboard Saturday and they will break from the 2 post position.



"Barbara Banke and her team decided coming back to Tampa Bay Downs was the right thing to do, and I'm happy with the decision," said McLaughlin, who added Ocean Knight will be shipped to Tampa Bay in Oldsmar, Fla., the morning of the race from his Palm Meadows Training Center base in Boynton Beach.



"It's a kind racetrack, the weather is supposed to be beautiful the next five days, and he came out of the (Davis) real well, so we feel like going back to Tampa is a win-win for everybody. He is training beautifully, and the nice thing is we don't have to change his schedule," McLaughlin said. "We just have to cancel his plane trip and put him on the van. We would have been happy to go to New York, too, but he has already shown he likes the track at Tampa."



While Ocean Knight has no Derby points yet, Carpe Diem, trained by Todd Pletcher, already stands eighth on the list with 14 points based on his runner-up finish in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and his 10-point victory in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland in October.



Originally, the Stonestreet Stables team was concerned that pitting Ocean Knight against Carpe Diem might hinder one of the two from acquiring enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. McLaughlin said plans call for both colts to run again April 4, with one going to the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct and the other to the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, grade I events worth $1 million each.



"We spoke about that and both horses (almost certainly) will run back in a 100-point race in four weeks,," McLaughlin said.



"We don't want to go to Kentucky just to run in the Derby. We want to have a chance to win," McLaughlin explained. "So with the timing of the Wood Memorial and the Blue Grass, the Stonestreet Stables people don't think it is that big a deal if they finish first and second Saturday, or first and third or first and fourth."



Bred in Kentucky by Thor-Bred Stables, Ocean Knight was purchased by Stonestreet for $320,000 from the De Meric Sales consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s 2014 March sale of 2-year-olds in training sale.



Carpe Diem, a son of Giant's Causeway   bred in Kentucky by Coffee Pot Stables, was purchased for $1.6 million at last year's OBS March sale. The colt was consigned to that sale by Northwest Stud, which had purchased him for $550,000 from the Beau Lane Bloodstock consignment to 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale.



Carpe Diem broke his maiden in his first start and then rolled to a 6 1/2-length triumph in the the Breeders' Futurity previous to his Breeders' Cup effort, in which he raced wide to rally from far back to finish second. The colt will be making his 2015 seasonal debut in the Tampa Derby and has been assigned topweight of 122 pounds, with John Velazquez aboard.



Coming into the Derby off a victory in the Texas Glitter Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his 2015 debut, is Live Oak Plantation's Souper Colossal, whose only blemish in five starts is a seventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The War Front   colt trained by Eddie Plesa Jr. began his career with three consecutive wins that included the Sapling and Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park prior to the Breeders' Cup.



Other Tampa Bay Derby starters include Divining Rod, My Johnny Be Good, and Ami's Flatter, the respective second, third and fourth-place finishers in the Davis.