Turned Aside to Start for New Connections in Turf Dash

With the weather finally cooperating, Turned Aside is set to make his debut for owners D. J. Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds in the $100,000 Turf Dash Stakes Feb. 24 at Tampa Bay Downs. The 4-year-old American Pharoah  colt, now in training with Mark Casse, is one of 11 runners entered (one for the main track only) in the five-furlong turf sprint.

Turned Aside was a homebred for the late Paul Pompa Jr. and trained by Linda Rice to victories in the Quick Call Stakes (G3T) and Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship Stakes last year in New York. D. J. Stable and West Point purchased the bay for $725,000 from Lane's End, agent for the complete dispersal of the estate of Paul P. Pompa Jr., at last month's Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. 

Wednesday's race will be a welcomed seasonal debut after Turned Aside scratched from the Feb. 13 Colonel Power Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots when rainy weather moved the race off the turf. Turned Aside's run in the Turf Dash, originally scheduled for Feb. 20, was also postponed. The race was first pushed back to Feb. 21 after the turf course had taken in over two inches of rain with more rain in the forecast. Ultimately the weather pushed the race back to Wednesday.

"He's doing well. He's already had a trip to New Orleans and back," Casse said. "When we bought him he came to our training center in Ocala, and then we shipped him to run in the (Colonel Power). He was supposed to run last Saturday and with the rain they took the race off the turf. At some point we might try him on the dirt but that wasn't the time we were ready to try it. So we brought him back, he's in Ocala at the training center, and he's scheduled to run on Wednesday at Tampa."

Casse is familiar with Turned Aside as the colt has competed multiple times against his trainees Jack and Noah and Old Chestnut.

"It looks like he could possibly be one of the better turf sprinters in North America, at least that's what we hope," Casse said of his new stable resident.

Turned Aside drew post 9 and will break under Jose Ferrer. He is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line behind Imprimis at 8-5.

Breeze Easy's Imprimis has crossed the wire first in three of his last four starts, including the Jan. 1 Janus Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his 7-year-old bow. The Broken Vow  gelding trained by Joseph Orseno rallied to win that five-furlong event by a neck. He ended last season with a 13th-place run in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) after a troubled race, but prior to that took the Runhappy Turf Sprint Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs. He was first across the line by 2 1/4 lengths in the Troy Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course, but was disqualified to third by the stewards for interference.

Imprimis will break from post 2 with Antonio Gallardo in the irons.

Also entered in the Turf Dash is Monster Racing Stables' The Critical Way. The Jose Delgado trainee set the pace in the Janus before finishing third a neck behind Imprimis.

Tampa Bay Downs also has the $100,000 Lightning City Stakes for older fillies and mares sprinting five furlongs on the turf Wednesday. The race attracted an overflow field with 12 entered in the main body plus two also-eligibles.

Entries: Turf Dash S.

Tampa Bay Downs, Wednesday, February 24, 2021, Race 7

• STK
• 5f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 3:21 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Oceanic (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	118	Jordan Blair	20/1
2	2Imprimis (FL)	Antonio A. Gallardo	124	Joseph F. Orseno	8/5
3	3Quarky (OK)	Daniel Centeno	118	Michael Dini	12/1
4	4My Boy Lenny (FL)	Daniel Centeno	118	Gerald S. Bennett	15/1
5	5The Critical Way (PA)	Samy Camacho	122	Jose H. Delgado	4/1
6	6The Connector (KY)	Ronald Dale Allen, Jr.	118	Dennis Ward	8/1
7	7Arcadia Calls (KY)	Roberto Alvarado, Jr.	118	Gerald S. Bennett	20/1
8	8Tench (KY)	Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.	118	Timothy E. Hamm	20/1
9	9Turned Aside (KY)	Jose C. Ferrer	124	Mark E. Casse	3/1
10	10Fox Rox (NY)	Ricardo Feliciano	118	Dennis Ward	15/1
11	11Jazzy Times (KY)	Chad Lindsay	118	David Van Winkle	15/1

Entries: Lightning City S.

Tampa Bay Downs, Wednesday, February 24, 2021, Race 9

• STK
• 5f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:21 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1The Great Kath (FL)	Kevin Mendez	118	Steven Dye	20/1
2	2Royal Collection (KY)	Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.	120	Arnaud Delacour	5/1
3	3Weekend Fun (KY)	Manny Jimenez	118	James Bentley Begg	20/1
4	4The Goddess Lyssa (FL)	Daniel Centeno	120	Gerald S. Bennett	3/1
5	5Payntdembluesaway (KY)	Samy Camacho	118	Jane Cibelli	8/1
6	6Sethamee Street (LA)	Keiber J. Coa	120	Baltazar Galvan	10/1
7	7Miss Auramet (FL)	Roberto Alvarado, Jr.	120	Edward Plesa, Jr.	4/1
8	8Awsum Roar (NY)	UNKNOWN	118	Antonio Sano	15/1
9	9Jeanie B (GB)	Antonio A. Gallardo	118	Mark E. Casse	6/1
10	10Lenzi's Lucky Lady (FL)	Alonso Quinonez	118	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	10/1
11	11Bluefield (FL)	Ronald Dale Allen, Jr.	118	Curtis L. Garrison	15/1
12	12Ode to Joy (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	120	Arnaud Delacour	8/1
13	13Roman d'Oro (KY)	Tomas B. Mejia	118	Mark E. Casse	6/1
14	14Nightlife (MD)	Daniel Centeno	118	Eddie Kenneally	12/1