Wet Conditions Could Impact Hillsborough, Florida Oaks

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Wet Conditions Could Impact Hillsborough, Florida Oaks
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Photo: SV Photography
Bleecker Street wins the Endeavour Stakes on firm ground at Tampa Bay Downs

Before Triple Crown trail participants race in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) March 12, four stakes—three graded—serve as a lead-up to the main event at Tampa Bay Downs.

Two of the graded contests, the $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) and the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3T), are on turf or at least scheduled for that surface. Wet weather is forecast for the Tampa area Saturday, with the National Weather Service calling for a 90% chance of rain between a half and three-quarters of an inch as of its 10 a.m. report March 11.

The 2-1 morning-line favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Hillsborough, Peter Brant's Bleecker Street  (Quality Road  ), has raced exclusively on firm turf in compiling a 4-for-4 record over her short career for trainer Chad Brown. But Brant and Brown have another entrant that has won on wet ground, that being 9-2 third choice Rocky Sky , a daughter of Rock of Gibraltar  who took a minor stakes race in Ireland last year over good turf at Navan.

Charles Fipke's Lady Speightspeare  (Speightstown  ), second last month to Bleecker Street in the Endeavour Stakes (G3T) at Tampa, also is a prior winner over good turf. She took an allowance optional claiming race on such ground in September 2021. The Roger Attfield trainee has stakes wins on synthetic and grass, the most prestigious of which was the Natalma Stakes (G1T) as a 2-year-old in 2020.


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Dede McGehee's Gladys  and Colebrook Farms' Nantucket Red  are entrants in the nine-horse field with wins on dirt. The former sports a win at Gulfstream Park West in the slop from her 2-year-old season, while the latter led throughout in the Wayward Lass Stakes on the Tampa main track Jan. 15.

On Friday, Tampa moved three scheduled turf races to its main track.

Jockey Rafael Hernandez guides Mrs. Barbara to the finish line in the $150,000 Guaranteed Mazarine Stakes for owner Spruce Stable and trainer Mark E. Casse
Photo: Woodbine/Michael Burns Photo
Mrs. Barbara captures the 2021 Mazarine Stakes at Woodbine

The Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles lured a contentious field, with five of the nine entrants pegged between 3-1 and 6-1 on the morning line. A slight favorite at 3-1 is Wertheimer and Frere's homebred Ambitieuse  (Medaglia d'Oro  ), second in the Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Feb. 5 for trainer Graham Motion.

Stakes-winning Alittleloveandluck , owned and trained by Michael Dini, is the 7-2 second favorite, a versatile daughter of Arrogate  who has won or placed on turf, synthetic, and dirt.

A graded winner in the lineup is Mrs. Barbara , who makes her first start since winning the Mazarine Stakes (G3) on synthetic at Woodbine Nov. 28.

"She's doing well, very well," Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse told Woodbine publicity. "It looks like there could be some rain this weekend, so hopefully, the turf isn't too soft. Soft turf is not what you're looking for coming off a little bit of a layoff. But she's training exceptionally well."  

Jim Lawson's Spruce Stable owns Mrs. Barbara. Lawson is CEO of Woodbine Entertainment.

The daughter of Bodemeister   is named after Lawson's mother and was bred by the Lawson family's Jim Dandy Stable. She ran fourth on good turf in last year's Natalma.

European import Dolce Zel  is the only Florida Oaks entrant with a win on a less-than-firm surface. She won over good-to-soft ground in her last race Oct. 14 at ParisLongchamp. She's in Brown's stable and races for the partnership of Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert LaPenta.


Entries: Hillsborough S. (G2T)

Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 12, 2022, Race 7

  • Grade IIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $225,000
  • 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 3:14 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Lovely Lucky (KY) Paco Lopez 118 Thomas Albertrani 10/1
2 2Take Charge Ro (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis Saez 118 Brian A. Lynch 12/1
3 3Lady Speightspeare (KY) Emma-Jayne Wilson 118 Roger L. Attfield 5/2
4 4Gladys (KY) Daniel Centeno 118 Kelsey Danner 20/1
5 5Bleecker Street (KY) Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr. 118 Chad C. Brown 2/1
6 6Rocky Sky (IRE) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Chad C. Brown 9/2
7 7Runaway Rumour (NY) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Jorge R. Abreu 6/1
8 8Jezebel's Kitten (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Manuel Franco 118 Christopher Davis 12/1
9 9Nantucket Red (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Olaf Hernandez 118 Michael W. Wright 15/1


Entries: Florida Oaks (G3T)

Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 12, 2022, Race 9

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/16m
  • Turf
  • $200,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 4:20 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Mrs. Barbara (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 120 Mark E. Casse 6/1
2 2Roughly a Diamond (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Antonio A. Gallardo 118 Michelle Nihei 12/1
3 3Dolce Zel (FR) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Chad C. Brown 5/1
4 4Princess Elin (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jesus Lopez Castanon 118 Alnaz Ali 20/1
5 5Sweet Dutchess (KY) Fernando De La Cruz 118 Kathleen O'Connell 10/1
6 6Spicer (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose L. Ortiz 118 Chad C. Brown 9/2
7 7Alittleloveandluck (FL)Keeneland Sales Graduate Paco Lopez 120 Michael Dini 7/2
8 8On Alert (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Claude R. McGaughey III 8/1
9 9Ambitieuse (KY) Manuel Franco 118 H. Graham Motion 3/1