Litigate States His Case in Sam F. Davis

The Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) is named in honor of the former president at Tampa Bay Downs when the track was known as Florida Downs and Turf Club, but the race also belongs to trainer Todd Pletcher.

The Hall of Famer sent out a record-extending seventh winner Feb. 11 when Centennial Farms' Litigate  pounced late on the second turn, taking command and defeating longshot Groveland  for a 1 1/4-length victory in the $200,000 race. The 3-year-old son of Blame   scored for the second time in three starts, racing 1 1/16 miles on a rain-dampened main track still characterized as fast in 1:44.83.

Litigate was among the least experienced runners in the Sam F. Davis, though it did not show in his performance. After jockey Luis Saez eased him back off the pace when in second approaching the first turn, the colt settled into a comfortable rhythm on the outside in fifth as Zydeceaux  set splits of :23.92 and :47.94.

Zydeceaux still held the lead, chased by Groveland, after three quarters in 1:11.27, but at this point, Litigate was on the move, advancing into second. Knowing he had the leaders collared, Saez took a peek behind him and then began urging his mount forward. Litigate took over, and while appearing to idle while in front, safety kept a resolute Groveland at bay.

"The game plan was trying to break from the start and pick up some spots," Saez said. "He ran from there pretty well and when he came to the top of the stretch, I felt like I had a lot of horse and let him run free and keep going. I thought I had it. I had plenty of horse and he was running pretty nice. That was magnificent."

Pletcher said he was pleased with Litigate, who returned $7.60 to his backers for a $2 wager.

"He got a good position early and finished well," he said. "We thought he would appreciate two turns."

Another 1 1/2 lengths back, Classic Car Wash  grabbed third in a three-way show photo, just ahead of fourth-place Classic Legacy  and Zydeceaux.

The top five finishers earned qualifying points toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, distributed on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale. Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as its preference system when the Derby draws more than its capacity field size of 20 horses.

Donald Little Jr., president and co-owner of Centennial Farms, said he found it "exciting to be on the Derby trail."

"(Litigate) just really improved mentally since his last race, and he put it all together today," he said. "Luis gave him a really tactical ride. He broke him early, got in there and saved some ground in the first turn, and then moved him to the outside and let him rock. He came running at the end."

Disappointing as the favorite was Remsen Stakes (G2) winner Dubyuhnell , who, after he was steadied in traffic early, ran without interest and finished eighth.

"The first turn was very rough and I had to check really hard," jockey Jose Ortiz said. "After that, he never got back on rhythm. That took him out of the race. It was very hard to get back to where I wanted to be."

Sam F. Davis participants often return in the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), scheduled this year to be run March 11 at the Oldsmar, Fla., oval. Pletcher has trained five Tampa Bay Derby winners, though only Destin  in 2016 took the Sam F. Davis previously.

Pletcher's other Sam F. Davis winners were Vinceremos  (2014), Brethren (2011), Rule (2010), Any Given Saturday (2007), and Bluegrass Cat (2006).

Eoin Harty, trainer of runner-up Godolphin's Groveland, also expressed satisfaction with his 3-year-old's performance, saying, "He doesn't quit. He digs in and I don't think distance will be a problem moving forward."

Bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place, Donaldson, and Broadbent, Litigate is the sole winner of five foals produced out of the Mineshaft   mare Salsa Diavola . Two of her foals have yet to have an opportunity to race: a 2-year-old Kantharos   filly and a yearling colt by Twirling Candy  . Litigate's second dam, Miss Salsa , a half sister to Mutakddim, produced graded stakes winner Pacific Ocean.

A $370,000 purchase by Centennial from Nursery Place's consignment to the 2021 September Yearling Sale at Keeneland, Litigate improved his earnings to $182,590 with Saturday's victory. Before the Sam F. Davis, he had been second in a Jan. 8 allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park after a debut maiden win Nov. 19 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Video: Sam F. Davis S. (G3)

Sibelius Notches Second Straight Stakes Score

Two races earlier on the Saturday card at Tampa Bay, Jun Park and Delia Nash's graded-winning sprinter Sibelius  prevailed in the $75,000 Pelican Stakes. After dueling with Doctor Oscar , the Jerry O'Dwyer trainee pulled away late from that rival to score by 1 1/4 lengths, racing six furlongs in a swift 1:08.77 under Junior Alvarado.

The Not This Time   gelding won for the second consecutive time this winter after capturing the Dec. 31 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. He paid $5.20 to win Saturday's race.

Gatsby  ran third, followed by Absolute Grit  in fourth and Paco`s Pico in fifth.

Video: Pelican S. (BT)