World of Trouble Dominates Marion County FL Sire Stakes
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Photo: SV Photography
World of Trouble cruises to the wire in the FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
Eight left the gate in the $125,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association Marion County Florida Sire Stakes Dec. 15 at Tampa Bay Downs, but as the field turned for home in the seven-furlong test, 1-5 choice World of Trouble commanded the spotlight.
Coming off a second in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) last out, the 3-year-old Kantharos colt ran them off their feet in the slop Saturday when he galloped to a 13 3/4-length score in a stakes-record 1:22.50.
Ridden confidently by Antonio Gallardo, World of Trouble took the lead from the start and posted fractions of :22.19 and :44.96 while continuing to stretch his lead. It was a familiar sight for the colt's connections, who saw him romp in similar fashion in the Jan. 20 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay.
"I was concerned about the (sloppy) track; I didn't know what to make of it. I couldn't tell if it was heavy or it was good," said Michael Dubb, who co-owns World of Trouble with Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables. "(But) I think this horse breathes different air, at least in this part of Florida. He is such a special horse, and we're on such a special ride with him, you just have to pinch yourself and hope he keeps going.
"He can sprint on dirt and he can sprint on turf, and the real question is, do I look down the line to go from seven furlongs to a mile or longer as he gets older and gets more relaxed? It's a great problem to have."
Gallardo geared down World of Trouble late, but runner-up Noble Drama and the others never came close to threatening.
"My job was very simple—hang on. Just hang on," Gallardo said. "He's so easy to ride. He goes in :44 and it's like he's galloping around, and when you ask this horse for more, he gives you more, and when you ask him again, he gives you more."
World of Trouble, who finished third in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) for trainer Jason Servis, won a pair of New York turf sprint stakes before the narrow Breeders' Cup defeat behind Stormy Liberal.
Bred by Darsan out of the Valid Expectations mare Meets Expectations, World of Trouble was a private purchase after he failed to meet his reserve for $10,000 in his breeder's consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales 2016 August Yearlings Sale. He improved his record to 5-2-1 from nine starts, with earnings of $578,400.
The FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes was one of four stakes races contested on the sloppy main track during Tampa's annual Cotillion Festival Day.
Earlier on the card, Richlyn Farms' 3-year-old filly Silver Bay sprang an upset in the $125,000 FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes for Florida-bred sophomore distaffers, winning by a neck from Broadway Run in a three-horse photo finish.
Before the race, trainer Bill Hickey was excited about the prospect of his filly competing on a sloppy track.
"Bet a gray on a rainy day—it still holds true," Hickey said after the Florida-bred daughter of Currency Swap—Ginny's Design and jockey Samy Camacho rallied to win the seven-furlong event. "Thank goodness she got a chance to run in the mud. She loves to play and splash in the puddles, and you could tell she really liked this track."
The victory was the third in seven starts for Silver Bay and her second stakes triumph. She is the 36-year-old Hickey's lone stakes winner. Silver Bay is owned by the Richlyn Farms enterprise of Richard and Evelyn Pollard.
Silver Bay's time was 1:25.74, and she paid $20.20 to win.
"She might just be getting better," Hickey said. "She really hasn't run a bad race sprinting on the dirt, but I think she just wants that one turn. I told Samy I knew she could get six and a half (furlongs), and Samy got that last sixteenth of a mile for us.
"(The Pollards) got offered some money for her when she won first time out (as a 2-year-old), but no amount of money could buy a horse like this for them. They are great patrons of the game," Hickey said.
Later in the day, the 2-year-old colt Gladiator King—a late supplemental entry—won the 34th edition of the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes by three lengths, stealing the six-furlong test from 8-5 favorite Mercusio.
Daniel Centeno picked up the mount on Gladiator King for trainer Jaime Mejia when Oscar Ulloa stayed in South Florida to ride at Gulfstream Park. Centeno and the son of Curlin —Golden Dawn hit it off from the outset, and the winner looked as though he wouldn't mind stretching out in distance.
"(Mejia) told me don't worry about his last race (a sixth-place finish in Aqueduct Racetrack's Dec. 1 Remsen Stakes, G2)," Centeno said. "He told me he was fast and I could do whatever I wanted with him.
"He broke sharp, I sat a little off the pace early, and when I asked him, he went right to the lead. He kind of waited around a little bit for the other horses, but every time they came to him, he kept running," Centeno said.
Gladiator King survived a late bobble while switching leads and continued to the wire with good energy. His time for the six furlongs was 1:11.49, and he paid $18 while improving to 3-for-6 (his previous victories were on the turf at Gulfstream Park West).
Mejia said he would consider the Jan. 19 Pasco Stakes for Gladiator King's next start. "With some confidence, I believe he will be a two-turn horse," said Mejia, who owns the colt.
Wrapping up the stakes action for the day in the 40th running of the $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, Fashion Faux Pas romped over nine opponents, going gate-to-wire in the six-furlong affair and scoring by four lengths from Peruvian Appeal.
Fashion Faux Pas, a daughter of Flatter —Clash, won for owners Denlea Park and Kent Spellman and trainer Arnaud Delacour in a final time of 1:11.65. She is 2-for-3, and Delacour is excited about her potential.
"We were a little worried like everybody about racing in the slop, especially when you've never run on it," Delacour said. "But we thought she could earn the lead because she has such a long stride and she could skip over it.
"Her main assets are her stride and her speed, so I didn't think we would ride her any different than she was ridden last time (a 5 3/4-length maiden victory last month at Laurel). She got good position early, Danny gave her a breather (on the turn for home), and it worked out great," Delacour said.
Centeno, in the irons aboard Fashion Faux Pas, was concerned in the early going about Lovesick, who boasted two frontrunning victories from two starts. But the filly was much the best Saturday.
"The track was kind of weird today. It was fast and slow, back and forth," Centeno said. "But it didn't bother her. She broke really sharp and made an easy lead. When Paco (Lopez, aboard Lovesick) tried to chase me, I wasn't even using my horse. She looked like she was galloping along on the lead, and I had plenty of horse turning for home."
Delacour said he will let Fashion Faux Pas determine her next start. "If it looks like she needs a little more time off (than three weeks), she'll get it. She deserves it," he said.