Surprisingly Back at Tampa for Grade 2 Hillsborough

A last out winner of the Feb. 4 Endeavour Stakes (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs, Surprisingly  will step up to grade 2 company when she returns to the Florida oval March 11 for the $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T), a 1 1/8-mile turf event for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up.

The homebred daughter of Mastery   for Phipps Stable is conditioned by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey who knows the family well having trained her dam Vagabond along with her third dam Matlacha Pass.

Surprisingly earned her first graded accolade when storming home in the stretch to overtake respective second- and third-place finishers Scotish Star , and Marketsegmentation , by a neck in the Endeavour last month. Todd Pletcher trainee Scotish Star, winner of the 2020 Polla de Potrancas (G1) in Argentina, will return to challenge for the Hillsborough.

The $175,000 Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs goes to a fast closing #2 SURPRISINGLY ($9.40). Paco Lopez was aboard for Shug McGaughey. Congrats to all the connections! Watch more on @fandueltv and wager at https://t.co/nBYFHiPrdh. pic.twitter.com/K6SPotVJLq

— TVG (@TVG) February 4, 2023

Breaking her maiden on debut in a Monmouth Park maiden special weight in September of 2021, Surprisingly has only two other wins in allowance and allowance optional claiming company making up a record of 4-1-0 from seven starts. 

Trainer Chad Brown will have three tries for the win with recent Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G3T) runner-up Shantisara , along with 2022 Long Island Stakes (G3T) third Kalifornia Queen , and off-the-board finisher in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) Rougir , who will both be making their 2023 debuts.

Campaigned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Robert LaPenta, Shantisara became a grade 1 winner in October of 2021 when coming home a victor of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland to close out her season. She only competed twice in 2022—both starts at the Lexington oval—where she was second in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) and fifth in the Fall Harvest Stakes. The Irish-bred daughter of Coulsty  will look to push her earnings over the $1 million mark with a win in the Hillsborough.

Hard knocking 7-year-old mare Temple City Terror  returns to the track from a win last out in the Long Island for trainer Brendan Walsh and owner Town and Country Racing. She was also a winner of the May 28 Keertana Overnight Stakes and Oct. 23 Dowager Stakes (G3T) in 2022. From 29 starts, the Temple City   mare has a record of 7-5-5 and earnings of $861,218.

Entries are completed by Cherie DeVaux trainee Gam's Mission , who arrives at the Hillsborough with the longest layoff of the field, having not started since a win in the 2022 Mint Julep Stakes (G3T) last June at Churchill Downs. The homebred for Lazy F Ranch is also a winner of the 2021 Regret Stakes (G3T) and finished just off the board that same year in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T).

Entries: Hillsborough S. (G2T)

Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 11, 2023, Race 9

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $225,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:04 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Kalifornia Queen (GER)	Edgard J. Zayas	119	Chad C. Brown	10/1
2	2Surprisingly (KY)	Paco Lopez	119	Claude R. McGaughey III	5/1
3	3Temple City Terror (KY)	Antonio A. Gallardo	119	Brendan P. Walsh	6/1
4	4Rougir (FR)	Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.	123	Chad C. Brown	7/2
5	5Gam's Mission (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	119	Cherie DeVaux	6/1
6	6Shantisara (IRE)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	119	Chad C. Brown	2/1
7	7Scotish Star (ARG)	Luis Saez	119	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1

Dreaming of Snow Set for Florida Oaks

Longshot victress in the Feb. 11 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa last out over Wonder Wheel  and Julia Shining  was Dreaming of Snow , who will take to the grass for the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3T), a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies.

The Florida-bred daughter of Jess's Dream   is trained by Gerald Bennett for Team Equistaff and Winning Stables. From five starts the filly is 3-0-0; the Florida Oaks will be her first attempt at graded company.

Also entered is stakes winner Navy Goat , 2022 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) runner-up Free Look , and Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3T) second Alpha Bella . 

Completing entries are Mission of Joy , Faccia Bella , Stephanie's Charm , Juniper's Moon , Mohawk Trail , Grace Darling , Ticker Tape Home , Love Foreverafter , and Embrace Me .

Entries: Florida Oaks (G3T)

Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 11, 2023, Race 10

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mission of Joy (ON)	Antonio A. Gallardo	119	H. Graham Motion	12/1
2	2Allamericanbeauty (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	119	Claude R. McGaughey III	8/1
3	3Alpha Bella (KY)	Luis Saez	119	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
4	4Faccia Bella (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	119	Kerri Raven	30/1
5	5Dreaming of Snow (FL)	Samy Camacho	121	Gerald S. Bennett	8/1
6	6Navy Goat (FL)	Daniel Centeno	119	Arnaud Delacour	6/1
7	7Stephanie's Charm (KY)	Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.	119	Jose M. Jimenez	15/1
8	8Juniper's Moon (KY)	Paco Lopez	119	Anthony W. Dutrow	20/1
9	9Mohawk Trail (FL)	Pablo Morales	119	Kelsey Danner	20/1
10	10Free Look (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	119	Chad C. Brown	2/1
11	11Grace Darling (IRE)	Julien R. Leparoux	119	Brian A. Lynch	8/1
12	12Ticker Tape Home (ON)	Emisael Jaramillo	119	Mark E. Casse	15/1
13	13Love Foreverafter (KY)	Chantal Sutherland	119	Jorge Delgado	30/1
14	14Embrace Me (KY)	Jose A. Batista	119	Thomas Albertrani	30/1