Candy Man Rocket's tactical ability should serve him well in Tampa Bay Derby

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Rain and unseasonable chill are in the Saturday forecast at Tampa Bay Downs, but somebody’s day will get much brighter as the sun is lowering itself onto a dreary Gulf Coast horizon.

A berth in the Kentucky Derby is on the line with the 41st running of the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby, the track’s annual marquee event, and that’ll be reason enough to forget about the nasty conditions, if that’s what things come to. A 90 percent rain chance and a high temperature of just 64 is what the weather folks are calling for on Festival Day, when the Tampa Derby goes as the 11th of 12 races and the last of five stakes. First post is 12:17 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:25.

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Candy Man Rocket, winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes here four weeks ago, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a full gate of 12 3-year-olds in the Tampa Derby, a 1 1/16-mile race offering qualifying points to the May 1 Kentucky Derby on a 50-20-10-5 scale. Junior Alvarado will be back aboard Candy Man Rocket when they break from post 3 for owner Frank Fletcher and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Mott will be looking for his third Tampa Derby victory, following Zede (1997) and Tacitus (2019), when he sends out Candy Man Rocket for what could be the colt’s second attempt over an off track. The first resulted in a seventh-place finish in his career debut in November, a race that belied the talent that led to his subsequent triumphs in a Gulfstream maiden sprint and the 1 1/16-mile Davis, both of which earned the son of Candy Ride an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It seems like he is doing equally as well now as he was before the Davis,” said Mott. “He’s got good natural speed away from the gate, so the chances of getting a good trip might be better than they would for a deep closer, especially in a big field.”

Among the top upset threats are Hidden Stash, Helium, and Promise Keeper.

Hidden Stash (post 8, Rafael Bejarano) was a late-closing third in his seasonal debut in the Davis after winning a pair of two-turn races in Kentucky to end a promising 2020 campaign.

“I hope he’ll switch leads a little better for us this time,” said trainer Vicki Oliver. “He does it like clockwork in the mornings, but for some reason he was late switching in the Davis. He’s the kind of colt that’s getting better with seasoning. Hopefully he moves up off the last race.”

Helium (post 10, Jose Ferrer) is unbeaten in two starts, both over Tapeta at Woodbine last year, ending with the Oct. 18 Display. The Ironicus colt was the favorite for the Nov. 22 Grey, but the race was canceled because of weather.

“Then I sent him to New Orleans, and we were going to try that route to the Derby with him,” said trainer Mark Casse. “But he wrenched an ankle, missed maybe a week, so we brought him home [to Ocala], and he was back going good right away. He’s trained well enough on the dirt that I think he deserves a shot at something like this. If he can get anywhere close to his Tapeta form, he’ll run well.”

Promise Keeper (post 11, Luis Saez) is one of two entries for Todd Pletcher, easily the leading trainer in race history with six wins, along with Unbridled Honor (post 9, Julien Leparoux). Both are last-out maiden winners, with Promise Keeper, the more well-regarded of the pair, having earned an 80 Beyer in winning over slop going a mile at Gulfstream Park. Both are shipping in from Palm Beach Downs.

Longer-priced possibilities include King of Dreams (post 4, Samy Camacho), whose connections won this race last year with 49-1 shot King Guillermo, and any of a trio being sent here from Gulfstream by trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. – Super Strong (post 2, Antonio Gallardo), Awesome Gerry (post 6, Hector Diaz Jr.), and Moonlite Strike (post 7, Daniel Centeno).

Boca Boy (post 5, Angel Arroyo) is eligible for a $50,000 win-only bonus as the only Florida-bred in the field.

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Rounding out the lineup are Sittin On Go (post 12, Roberto Alvarado Jr.), a major disappointment in three starts since he won the Grade 3 Iroquois in September, and My Liberty (post 1, Tomas Mejia), the rank outsider.

Because it is a Kentucky Derby points qualifier, there is no Lasix usage permitted for the Tampa Derby.

Four other stakes are part of a busy Festival Day: the Challenger (race 5), Columbia (race 7), Hillsborough (race 9), and Florida Oaks (race 10).

Television coverage of the day’s action is being provided by TVG and America’s Day at the Races on Fox Sports.

Attendance is being limited to about 3,000 fans.