Florida Cup Day Lures 53 Entries in Six Tampa Stakes

A total of 53 horses have been entered in six $110,000 Florida Cup Day stakes races, which are part of a 12-race Tampa Bay Downs card March 28. All of the Florida Cup stakes races are for registered Florida-breds.

The 18th annual Florida Cup, which was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has attracted horses from the barns of top trainers such as Bill Mott, Todd Pletcher, Michael Maker, Mark Casse, and Christophe Clement, as well as Tampa Bay Downs mainstays Gerald Bennett and Kathleen O'Connell.

A number of Gulfstream Park-based jockeys will make the trip north to ride, including Joe Bravo, Paco Lopez, Corey Lanerie, Edgard Zayas, and Chantal Sutherland, who rides Sanford Bacon and Patrick Biancone's Kelsey's Cross in the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf Stakes. Biancone trains the latter.

The Florida Cup action starts with the fifth race, the Equistaff Sophomore Turf Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Seven are entered, headed by Maker-trained grade 3 stakes winner Chess's Dream, who will be ridden by Daniel Centeno.

Next up for Florida Cup runners is the seventh race, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Sophomore Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on the main track. Top contenders in the eight-horse field are multiple-stakes winner Breeze On By, a Stonehedge-owned runner from the barn of trainer Ralph Nicks, and Lea Farm's Willy Boi, winner of the Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park March 6. 

Zayas will be on Breeze On By and Lanerie will ride Willy Boi.

The eighth race is the mile-and-an-eighth Grey Goose Turf Classic Stakes, with six horses set to attempt the rigorous 1 1/8-mile event.

Donegal Racing's Shamrocket, to be ridden by Zayas for trainer Todd Pletcher, and Maker's distance-loving 4-year-old gelding Me and Mr. C, with Centeno up, is a leading challenger.

The ninth race, the NYRA Bets Sprint Stakes at six furlongs on the dirt, drew a wide-open field of 10. The 4-year-old colt Shivaree—last year's Curlin Florida Derby (G1) runner-up for Jacks or Better Farm—won the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association Marion County Florida Sire Stakes here in December. Trainer Ralph Nicks has named Lanerie to ride.

A field of 10 fillies and mares will contest the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf Stakes, which is the 10th race at 1 1/16 miles. Trainer Darien Rodriguez's Crown and Sugar, the 2019 race winner, and Cam Gambolati's 6-year-old Bienville Street are among those entered. Antonio Gallardo is named on Crown and Sugar and Lopez is named on Bienville Street. Another to watch is 5-year-old Beautiful Lover, trained by Clement and to be ridden by Bravo.

The Florida Cup action wraps up with the 11th race, the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies for sophomores at seven furlongs on the main track. The 12-horse field includes the O'Connell-trained Fan Fan, to be ridden by Hector Diaz Jr., and the dead-heat winners of the Jan. 16 Gasparilla Stakes, Adios Trippi and Special Princess. Adios Trippi will be ridden by Gallardo and Special Princess will have the services of Jose Ferrer.

Entries: Equistaff Sophomore Turf S.

Tampa Bay Downs, Sunday, March 28, 2021, Race 5

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $110,000
• 3 yo
• 1:55 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Officiating (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	William I. Mott	3/1
2	2Chess's Dream (FL)	Daniel Centeno	124	Michael J. Maker	9/5
3	3Light Us Up (FL)	Huber Villa-Gomez	118	Ron G. Potts	8/1
4	4Indy Lyon (FL)	Ronald Dale Allen, Jr.	118	Maria Bowersock	6/1
5	5Hot Blooded (FL)	Samy Camacho	124	Carlos A. David	4/1
6	6Flight to Paradise (FL)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Michael J. Trombetta	10/1
7	7Osprey (FL)	Antonio A. Gallardo	118	Kathleen O'Connell	8/1

Entries: Grey Goose Turf Classic S.

Tampa Bay Downs, Sunday, March 28, 2021, Race 8

• STK
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $110,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 3:25 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Over the Channel (FL)	Samy Camacho	118	David Fawkes	7/2
2	2Shamrocket (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Todd A. Pletcher	9/5
3	3Me and Mr. C (FL)	Daniel Centeno	120	Michael J. Maker	5/2
4	4Winter's Wonder (FL)	Isaac Castillo	118	Hernan Parra	15/1
5	5J P Hellish (FL)	Raul Mena	118	Joseph F. Orseno	8/1
6	6Second Mate (FL)	Paco Lopez	122	Michael J. Maker	6/1

Entries: Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf S.

Tampa Bay Downs, Sunday, March 28, 2021, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $110,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:29 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Bienville Street (FL)	Paco Lopez	126	Cam M. Gambolati	9/2
2	2Kelsey's Cross (FL)	Chantal Sutherland	122	Patrick L. Biancone	6/1
3	3Classy Woman (FL)	Jose C. Ferrer	122	Moises R. Yanez	15/1
4	4Here Comes Jackie (FL)	Ronald Dale Allen, Jr.	122	Michael Dini	8/1
5	5Lovely Luvy (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	122	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	15/1
6	6Beautiful Lover (FL)	Joe Bravo	122	Christophe Clement	2/1
7	7Crown and Sugar (FL)	Antonio A. Gallardo	122	Darien Rodriguez	12/1
8	8Sugar Fix (FL)	Samy Camacho	122	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	3/1
9	9Summering (FL)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	122	Thomas F. Proctor	8/1
10	10Sun Summers (FL)	Daniel Centeno	122	Michael J. Maker	6/1