Castellano notches five wins on Florida Cup card

Jockey Javier Castellano was the star of Sunday’s Florida Cup program at Tampa Bay Downs, winning five races on the card including four stakes.

All six stakes events on the afternoon were restricted to registered Florida-breds.

Castellano began his big day winning the Horse Races Now Sprint aboard the odds-on Imperial Hint, who cruised to an easy tally in his 2018 debut. The Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up paid $2.40.

Castellano subsequently added victories with Florida Fuego ($7.60) in the Sophomore Fillies, Swagger Jagger ($7.40) in the Turf Classic, and Madame Uno ($7.00) in the Distaff Turf. Castellano’s fifth tally on the card came with the odds-on maiden winner Night Owl.

Two of Castellano’s four stakes wins came for trainer David Fawkes aboard Florida Fuego and Madame Uno. Fawkes' colleague Mark Casse duplicated the feat, sending out He’s Bankable ($21.60) and Noble Commander ($4.00) to back-to-back triumphs in the Sophomore Turf and Sophomore, respectively. Both of Casse’s winners were ridden by Julien Leparoux.

He’s Bankable led a one-two finish for Casse with Live Oak Plantation homebreds in the Sophomore Turf, after narrowly outlasting his stablemate March to the Arch in the 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-olds. Fawkes also had a one-two finish of his own, with Madame Uno and Surprise Wedding in the Distaff Turf.

Fawkes narrowly missed a hat trick when his favored Galleon Mast dropped a stretch-long duel with Swagger Jagger in the Turf Classic.

Noble Commander kept his record perfect in two starts with a game decision over Silent Tiger. The 3-year-old son of Forestry captured his career debut five weeks earlier at Gulfstream Park.