Classic Causeway Duels Major General in Tampa Bay Derby

One month after leaving 11 rivals in his wake in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3), Classic Causeway  aims for continued Tampa Bay Downs superiority in the $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) March 12.

The Giant's Causeway  colt again battles 11 foes and a bit of history. Since the turn of the century, only Burning Roma  (2001) and Destin  (2016) have won both races, which are each contested at 1 1/16 miles on the Tampa main track. 

Four 3-year-olds return that chased Classic Causeway in the Sam F. Davis, led by runner-up Shipsensational. The remaining seven entrants include returning graded stakes winner Major General , the grade 1-placed Giant Game , and fast maiden winners Happy Boy Rocket  and Money Supply .

The Brian Lynch-trained Classic Causeway drew well under Irad Ortiz Jr. in post 4 with a short run to the first of two turns.

He can secure a favorable running position from there if he starts as alertly as he did last month. In the Sam F. Davis, he outbroke the opposition, set a pressured pace, and put away his rivals in the stretch to win by 3 3/4 lengths.

The victory was his second in four starts, following a debut maiden score at Saratoga Race Course last summer. Between those two wins, he ran third last fall in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland behind Rattle N Roll  and Double Thunder  and second to Smile Happy  in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.

“We’ve been fortunate to not miss a beat with him,” Lynch said. “He has had two strong workouts (since the Sam F. Davis) and he’s on schedule to go back to a track he really liked.

"He came out of the (Sam F. Davis) very well, he's carrying good weight and he has great energy so we're counting our blessings. He seemed to really like the racetrack so we thought the smart thing was to take him back over there and have a crack at the Tampa Bay Derby."

Racing for Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper, he has made $301,100, the second-highest bankroll in Saturday's race behind Shipsational's $318,750, which he earned primarily in New York-bred company.

Shipsational, an Iris Smith Stable-owned son of Midshipman  , didn't break as nearly as alertly as Classic Causeway in the Sam F. Davis before rallying from eighth to grab second. He raced on or close to the early pace in his three victories from five starts.

Manny Franco picks up the ride on Shipsational after Javier Castellano piloted him to his runner-up finish in the Sam F. Davis.

Castellano returns aboard WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Major General for trainer Todd Pletcher after guiding the Constitution   colt to a neck victory in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs Sept. 18. Major General is 2-for-2, having also won a maiden race at Saratoga in August.

Since the Iroquois, he has not raced but has been training steadily this winter at Palm Beach Downs, recording five workouts over five-eighths of a mile since early February.

Pletcher, a Hall of Famer, is a five-time Tampa Bay Derby winner, his last victory coming in 2017 with Taprit, who would later take that year's Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

Frank Fletcher Racing Operation's Happy Boy Rocket  vaults into graded stakes company after a second-out maiden victory at Gulfstream Park Jan. 29 over 1 1/16 miles. Hall of Famer Bill Mott, a two-time Tampa Bay Derby winner, trains.

Klaravich Stables' Money Supply stretches out from a rallying debut win over six furlongs against maidens on the Sam F. Davis undercard for trainer Chad Brown.

The Tampa Bay Derby provides qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby on a 50-20-10-5 scale to its top four finishers.

Classic Causeway leads Saturday's race with 16 existing points followed by Major General second with 10, earned in winning the Iroquois, the kickoff race in the 2021-22 Road to the Kentucky Derby series.

Another horse with Derby points, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Champagne Stakes (G1) runner-up and TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) fourth-place finisher Commandperformance  (six points) will race on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard in a maiden race that goes as the fifth race.

Trained by Pletcher, he has not recorded as many five-furlong works this winter as stablemate Major General but holds what appears to be a significant class edge against maidens. The gray son of Union Rags   will add blinkers for his return and figures to be odds-on.

Pletcher has indicated the colt could race in one of the final rounds of Derby preps this spring.

Entries: Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2)

Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 12, 2022, Race 11

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 5:23 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Grantham (KY)	Samy Camacho	118	Michael J. Maker	20/1
2	2Trademark (KY)	Daniel Centeno	118	Victoria H. Oliver	30/1
3	3Happy Boy Rocket (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	12/1
4	4Classic Causeway (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Brian A. Lynch	8/5
5	5Giant Game (KY)	Joseph Talamo	118	Dale L. Romans	10/1
6	6Golden Glider (KY)	Antonio A. Gallardo	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1
7	7Strike Hard (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Matthew J. Williams	8/1
8	8Major General (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
9	9Shipsational (NY)	Manuel Franco	118	Edward R. Barker	5/1
10	10Belgrade (KY)	Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.	118	H. Graham Motion	20/1
11	11Money Supply (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Chad C. Brown	10/1
12	12Spin Wheel (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	118	George R. Arnold, II	20/1