Catholic Boy, Hollywood Star square off in Sam F. Davis Stakes

The biggest day so far at the 2017-18 Tampa Bay Downs meet will be Saturday, when Catholic Boy and Hollywood Star clash in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes and turf champion World Approval preps for a trip to Dubai in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes.

Catholic Boy, a 4 3/4-length winner of the Remsen Stakes in his final start at 2, figures as a decisive favorite when he makes his 3-year-old debut in the $200,000 Sam Davis, a 1 1/16-mile race that offers 17 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby, including 10 to the winner.

Catholic Boy had his final pre-race tune-up Sunday at the Oldsmar, Fla., track, breezing a half-mile in 49.20 seconds in company with an unraced stablemate.

“It was just a maintenance work, nice and easy,” said Jonathan Thomas, who trains Catholic Boy for owner Robert LaPenta. “We’re right on schedule with him.”

Manny Franco will be in from New York to ride Catholic Boy.

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Hollywood Star was scratched Saturday from the Holy Bull Stakes when trainer Dale Romans decided to run three other 3-year-olds in the Gulfstream Park fixture, including Free Drop Billy and Tiz Mischief, the respective two-three finishers behind Audible. Hollywood Star, owned by the Albaugh Family Stables, will be making his first start since finishing sixth in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Other probables for the Davis, according to the Tampa racing office, are Vino Rosso, Flameaway, and Navy Armed Guard, while at least a few more are considered possible, including Awaken, Mind Trappe, and Septimius Severus. Saturday entries will be drawn Wednesday.

The purse for the Davis is listed at $250,000, but that includes $50,000 in bonuses restricted to registered Florida-breds. In fact, all four stakes on the Festival Preview Day on Saturday have similar purse structures pursuant to Florida-breds.

The 38th Sam Davis comes four weeks before the track’s annual showcase, the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, which will offer 50 Kentucky Derby points to the winner on March 10. The Davis will anchor a Saturday card that includes three other stakes, most notably the $150,000 Tampa Bay in which World Approval, the 2017 Eclipse champion for top turf horse, will prepare for a run in the $6 million Dubai Turf on March 31.

John Velazquez will commute from Gulfstream to keep the ride on World Approval, who will be a huge favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay. The 6-year-old horse had his last pre-race workout Saturday over the Palm Meadows turf when getting a half-mile in 49 seconds.

Other older horses expected for the Tampa Bay include Le Ken, Western Reserve, Noble Thought, and a few more.

The two other stakes on tap are the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes, an ungraded race for 3-year-old fillies that offers 17 qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Endeavour Stakes for older fillies and mares on turf.

The Suncoast, which goes at a mile and 40 yards on the main track, is perhaps the most wide open of the Festival Preview stakes, with the lineup likely to include Blonde Bomber, Daisy, Belles Orb, C. S. Incharge, Mihrab, So Refined, and Ten Demerits. The 1 1/16-mile Endeavour is expected to feature a terrific matchup of La Coronel, Dona Bruja, and Ultra Brat, and more.

Garcia injured in spill

Jockey Wilmer Garcia will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a fractured left collarbone and fractured right wrist in a spill in the fourth race Saturday, Tampa Bay publicity reported. Garcia was thrown to the turf when his mount, Power Hitter, clipped heels in the upper stretch. No horses or other jockeys were seriously injured.

Garcia, a 26-year-old native of Puerto Rico, was in his second full season at Tampa after starting his career in the United States in 2011. He has won with five of 77 mounts at the current meet.

Gallardo’s hot streak continues

Leading jockey Antonio Gallardo enjoyed another memorable afternoon at Tampa when booting home five winners on the Friday card. Gallardo, who topped the standings three straight winters before skipping most of the 2016-17 meet to ride elsewhere, enters Wednesday with a 52-38 lead over Daniel Centeno at a meet that began Nov. 25. Gallardo continues to lead all local riders in wins, mounts, and earnings.

◗ Two allowances (races 3 and 7) anchor a solid eight-race card that kicks off the four-day race week Wednesday at Tampa. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.