Brody's Cause among 46 nominees to Tampa Bay Derby

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Trainer Dale Romans is hoping that Grade 1 winner Brody’s Cause can follow in the footsteps of Street Sense, who used the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes to propel him to a victory in the 2007 Kentucky Derby for trainer Carl Nafzger.

Brody’s Cause will begin his 3-year-old season March 12 in the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby at 1 1/16 miles before aiming for the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at 1 1/8 miles April 9 at Keeneland. It’s the same path followed by Street Sense, who won the Tampa Bay Derby and finished second to Dominican in the Blue Grass before prevailing at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

“He’ll be there,” Romans said, referring to the Tampa Bay Derby. “I think he’s ready to roll, ready to get back in action. We freshened him up and were looking for a two-race schedule back, and timing-wise, I thought Tampa-Blue Grass worked out good. It’s worked before for a Derby winner.”

Brody’s Cause hasn’t raced since finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile behind Nyquist, last year’s champion 2-year-old male, and Swipe on Oct. 31 at Keeneland. Prior to that, Brody’s Cause, a son of Giant’s Causeway owned by the Albaugh Family Stable, won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 3 at Keeneland. The horse has two wins from four starts.

On Sunday, Brody’s Cause breezed five furlongs in 1:00.73 at Gulfstream Park, the third-fastest of 26 works at the distance that day. Romans, who has dyslexia, said he wasn’t there for the workout because he was in Louisville, Ky., speaking at a fundraiser for a school for children with learning disabilities.

“Everyone says he worked very well,” Romans said. “I’ve seen every work but this one, and he’s been doing very good. To me, he looks like he’s grown up and gotten a little bit bigger [since last year]. He was a mature horse as a 2-year-old, but with his pedigree, by Giant’s Causeway, you would expect him to continue to get better.”

The Tampa Bay Derby offers 85 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to its top four finishers on a scale of 50-20-10-5. It’s the highlight of the richest card in Tampa Bay Downs history, with four stakes offering a total of $850,000 in purses. The card also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Hillsborough Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for older fillies and mares; the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies; and the $100,000 Challenger Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race for older horses.

Also among the 46 nominees to the Tampa Bay Derby are Nyquist, who is expected to go in the Grade 1 Florida Derby instead for trainer Doug O’Neill, and Destin, who won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes here Feb. 13 for trainer Todd Pletcher. The list includes Greenpointcrusader, who won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes last year and was second to leading Kentucky Derby prospect Mohaymen last month in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes; Shagaf, who is 2 for 2 but hasn’t run in a stakes race; and Economic Model, runner-up to Awesome Banner in the Grade 2 Swale Stakes on Jan. 30.

The Hillsborough Stakes had 42 nominees, led by Tepin, who beat males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last fall and won the Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes here Feb. 13 in her 5-year-old debut for trainer Mark Casse. Her stablemate Lexie Lou, the 2014 Canadian Horse of the Year, also was nominated, along with Grade 1 winners Ball Dancing and Photo Call.

The Florida Oaks got 57 nominees, including Grade 3 winners Family Meeting, Gamble’s Ghost, and Harmonize. Twenty-nine horses were nominated to the Challenger Stakes, including last year’s winner, General a Rod, and Grade 2 winners Upstart and Madefromlucky.