Wild Shot Deserves Long Look in Sam F. Davis Stakes

As is usually the case, Florida and California are where you'll find the graded-stakes action during the middle of winter. This Saturday is no exception, as Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs each card three graded stakes and Santa Anita Park puts on a pair of Grade 2 events.

At Gulfstream, the $150,000 Suwanee River (G3T), $350,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1T) and $350,000 Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) are the first three legs of a late pick 4 guaranteed at $300,000 and the middle legs of a $250,000 late pick five. There is also a pick three, naturally, and budget-minded bettors are reminded Gulfstream's pick three minimum was reduced Feb. 8 to 50 cents.

Suwanee River (GP, race 9, 4:03 ET): Sandiva (#6) has put together a 4-2-1 record from seven starts over the local course that includes a win in the 2015 Suwanee River, and the hard-hitting mare appears as good as ever after running down stablemate Isabella Sings in the Marshua's River (G3T) four weeks back.

Sea Coast (#1) was just a half-length behind after chasing Isabella Sings from the outset. She is in fine form as well, and has never been worse than second from seven starts on firm turf in the United States.

Dickinson (#8) was an encouraging fourth in the Marshua's River, considering it was her first graded stakes try and her first start since switching to turf for two wins last fall. After being out-moved on the turn, she regathered herself and was coming on again in deep stretch.

In the absence of Isabella Sings, the one they'll all be chasing is Goldy Espony (#9), who makes her first start since wiring the La Prevoyante (G3T) in December of 2015 for Chad Brown.

A - 1, 6

B - 8, 9



Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (GP, race 10, 4:34 ET): Four of the eight entries come out of the shorter Fort Lauderdale (G2T): top three finishers Flatlined (#5), Almanaar (#2) and Divisidero (#6), and Lukes Alley (#3), who was a troubled seventh and won this race a year ago.

The contention runs deeper than that, though. Beach Patrol (#4) won the Secretariat Stakes (G1T) last summer, and appears to fit well on numbers in his first time against older rivals. All Included (#8) was a close third in last year's edition, and recently had a good tightener first time out since early last spring. Even the pair of Eirigh (#7) and War Correspondent   (#1), who were a half-length apart in a high-end optional claimer at Tampa Bay last month, could have a say in this free-for-all.

In more succinct terms, if there are any easy toss-outs here, I can't find them.

A - 2, 6

B - 3, 4

C - 1, 5, 7, 8



Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park Handicap (GP, race 11, 5:05 ET): Blofeld (#3) won this race a year ago at nearly 10-1, but his form went south in three subsequent starts, and he'll flirt with double-digit odds making his seasonal debut for a new barn.

The one-mile race appears to boil down to Sharp Azteca (#7) going to the front, with Todd Pletcher's pair of Tommy Macho (#1) and Zulu (#5) trying to catch him.

Sharp Azteca (3 for 3 at the distance) has had a breather since a huge effort in the Malibu (G1), in which he dueled through a mind-bending second quarter in well under 22 seconds, shook loose after six furlongs in 1:08, and just failed to hold off Mind Your Biscuits. His connections are using this as a bridge to next month's Godolphin Mile (G2) in Dubai and ultimately the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park in June.

Tommy Macho came out of a win in last winter's Fred Hooper (G3) with an injury, returned with two below-par races in the fall, but recently reaffirmed his fondness for Gulfstream with an impressive win in the Hal's Hope Stakes (G3).

The lightly raced $900,000 purchase Zulu is 3-1-0 from five starts, the only hiccup an off-the-board finish in last year's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) when playing catch-up on the Triple Crown trail. He won a restricted stake nicely when returned earlier this winter, and like Sharp Azteca, he meets older foes for the first time.

A - 1, 7

B - 5

There are four stakes across the peninsula at Tampa Bay, beginning with the $100,000 Suncoast, which is ungraded, but features the seasonal debut of Elate, whose big first-out win last fall suggests Bill Mott is in the early stages of developing one of the nation's top sophomore fillies.

The Suncoast precedes the $150,000 Tampa Bay (G3), the $250,000 Sam F. Davis (G3), and the Lambholm South Endeavour (G3), which earlier this week lost Tepin due to a minor bout of colic.

For reasons that escape me, there is no all-stakes pick four, but there is one that links the trio of Grade 3 events to a riveting $16,000 maiden claimer. 

Sam F. Davis (Tam, race 10, 4:45 ET): The key local prep for the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) got a field of nine 3-year-olds, topped by McCraken (#8), who is on everyone's short list of leading Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) prospects. 

There are a number of streaks in play:

* McCraken's season-ending score over Wild Shot (#6) in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) ran his record to 3 for 3.

* Fact Finding (#3) was scratched from last week's Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (G2) by Todd Pletcher, who has won this race six times including last year with Destin. The colt by The Factor   is also perfect from three starts.

* Pletcher's other runner is Tapwrit (#7), a $1.2 million son of Tapit  , who is 2 for 2 in blinkers after beating next-out OBS Championship winner Master Plan in the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes in the slop at Gulfstream Dec. 10, about an hour before Fact Finding wired the $75,000 Smooth Air.

* King and His Court (#2) is 2 for 2 since purchased and turned over to Mark Casse, and those off-the-pace victories at Woodbine in the Coronation Futurity and Display make him the top money-earner in the field.

Also in with a big chance is No Dozing (#9), who has been training at Tampa Bay for his first start since a solid runner-up finish in the Remsen (G2).

Considering he did much of the dirty work forcing the pace, I thought Wild Shot ran at least as well as McCraken when they met at Churchill Downs late last fall. I just wish his connections would come up with a rider for the Trappe Shot   colt and stick with him, rather than putting someone new on his back every race.

A - 6, 8, 9

B - 3, 7

C - 2

Out west, the Santa Maria (G2) and the Arcadia (G2) both drew short fields.

In the Santa Maria, Vale Dori (#6) shoots for her fourth straight win, and she figures to be odds-on for the fourth straight time breaking from the outside against five other fillies and mares.

In a five-horse renewal of the Arcadia, Ring Weekend (#2) was a silly underlay when fifth in a sloppy off-the-turf San Gabriel last out. If this one stays on the grass, he should get a decent pace setup stalking What a View (#3) and Conquest Enforcer (#5).