Blue Grass next for Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapit Trice
The April 8 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland is next for Tapit Trice, whose last-to-first triumph here Saturday in the annual meet showcase, the Tampa Bay Derby, made him the 8-1 second choice in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager that closed Sunday.
Todd Pletcher reported from his Palm Beach Downs winter base that all was well with Tapit Trice the morning after the gray colt powered to a two-length score over Classic Car Wash and Classic Legacy in the Grade 3, $360,000 Tampa Derby. It was a record sixth win in the annual meet showcase for Pletcher, who also trains Forte, the 3-1 favorite in Pool 5.
Pletcher has the most Kentucky Derby starters (62) in race history, and it’s interesting to note that his two winners, Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017), both raced at Tampa leading into the Derby. Super Saver was third in the Tampa Derby in March and Always Dreaming won a maiden-special in January.
Tapit Trice, ridden by Luis Saez, earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in his stakes and two-turn debut. Owned by Gainesway Stable and Whisper Hill Farm, he was coming off an eight-length victory in a one-mile allowance at Gulfstream Park.
Mark Casse, the trainer of Classic Car Wash, said he was wowed by how Tapit Trice performed down the stretch. “That horse, to me, was very impressive,” he said.
All-sources handle on a 12-race Saturday card run amid perfect weather was $17,460,257, up 11 percent over 2021. The 2022 Tampa Derby card drew nearly $21 million, but that was aided by cancellations that same date at Aqueduct and other East Coast tracks.
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