Alittleloveandluck has work cut out for her in Suncoast Stakes
OLDSMAR, Fla. – As a horseman’s representative and the trainer of a sizable stable, Mike Dini has a whole lot on his plate.
“Always something going on around here,” Dini said.
One of the unenviable tasks in his immediate future: derail the Todd Pletcher juggernaut, even if momentarily, when sending out Alittleloveandluck to try to upset heavily favored Nest in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
“Everybody’s afraid of Pletcher, but not me,” said a laughing Dini, president of the Tampa division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. “I really think we can beat him.”
Nest, as a last-out winner of the Grade 2 Demoiselle in early December at Aqueduct, will have Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard when she is sent away in the 2-5 range in the $100,000 Suncoast, one of four stakes on the Sam F. Davis card Saturday at Tampa. All four will be run over a main track expected to be fast.
The Suncoast, carded as the eighth of 11 races (post, 3:49 p.m. Eastern), is a 10-4-2-1 points qualifier toward the Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs. It’s the leadoff race in the late pick four (races 8-11), which also includes the Davis.
Nest was so highly regarded by Pletcher and her owners, Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Mike Repole, that they seriously considered running her in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5 off a Sept. 25 maiden romp at Belmont Park. Instead, the long-striding Curlin filly was diverted to the Tempted on Nov. 5 at Aqueduct, where she was a late-closing third in an effort that set her up nicely for the Demoiselle score.
Alittleloveandluck, a last-out winner of the Ginger Brew on the Gulfstream Park turf, is the only stakes winner besides Nest in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies in the mile and 40-yard Suncoast. As such, she’s likely to be the second choice with Paco Lopez riding from post 3. Her Beyer Speed Figure of 80 from the Ginger Brew on Jan. 1 is in the same ballpark as the last two Beyers earned by Nest (81 and 77), and the third-place filly in that stakes, Opalina, returned to win the Sweetest Chant last Saturday at Gulfstream.
“I know she’s won her last two on the Tapeta and the turf,” said Dini, referring to a Nov. 12 maiden race and the Ginger Brew.
“Her works over the dirt here have been great. I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t handle it. I sure hope she does because this is a huge race for me.”
Dini owns Alittleloveandluck and therefore stands to benefit not only from potential Oaks points and the standard purse, but also a $50,000 windfall if the gray Arrogate filly comes through. That’s the amount of a winner-only bonus awarded to Florida-breds. She’s the only statebred in a lineup filled out by Kentucky-breds.
“Plus she’d be a serious Oaks candidate and the offers would get even bigger,” he said, alluding to private-purchase inquiries he already has fielded recently.
:: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures
Pricier considerations in the 42nd Suncoast include a pair of last-out debut winners in Peaceful Surprise and Princess Elin, as well as local fillies Mining Chrome and Mirth ’n Merriment.
Twin sprints set the stage
The Suncoast is directly preceded on the Festival Preview card by consecutive six-furlong stakes for older horses, the $50,000 Minaret (race 6, 2:45) for fillies and mares and the $75,000 Pelican (race 7, 3:18) for their male counterparts.
Baby Yoda, still regarded as something of a curiosity because of the whopping 114 Beyer he earned in winning a Sept. 4 allowance sprint at Saratoga, will have Jose Ortiz aboard from post 3 as the Pelican favorite. Trained by Bill Mott, the 4-year-old gelding is making his first start since a distant runner-up finish behind the supremely talented Flightline in the Malibu on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.
King Guillermo, best known for his 49-1 stunner in the 2020 Tampa Bay Derby, is among the opposition in the 38th Pelican as he looks to recapture that elusive peak form. Bank On Shea and Pudding are other logical contenders.
The listed Pelican purse does not include a $25,000 winner-only bonus for Florida-breds. Five of the seven starters qualify, including Baby Yoda.
The 41st Minaret got a field of eight, with Feeling Mischief and Quinoa Tifah the likely favorites. Feeling Mischief, trained by Mike Campbell, looked particularly sharp in a Jan. 19 allowance triumph over the local surface and might sport a slight edge here in class and recency with Castellano riding.