Chess Master, Payntdembluesaway streak to turf-sprint wins at Tampa

Pace players drew away to clear-cut triumphs when a pair of turf-sprint stakes were co-featured Saturday a 10-race card at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.

Chess Master made all the running in capturing the $91,250 Turf Dash an hour or so after Payntdembluesaway bounded to the lead turning for home in winning the $81,750 Lightning City. Both five-furlong races were run over firm going and amid mid-60s temperatures.

Turf Dash

Carefully rated by Jesus Castanon after breaking sharply from his rail post, Chess Master shook off an upper-stretch challenge from Xy Speed in winning by 2 1/2 lengths. The winner, a 6-year-old Florida-bred gelding by Overdriven, returned $10.80 and ran the five-eighths in 55.56 seconds.

Xy Speed gave closest chase throughout while holding second, another 1 1/2 lengths before The Connector in a field of nine older males. Bad Beat Brian, the 2-1 favorite, had no mishap when sixth.

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Chess Master, owned and trained by Kerri Raven, now has won 11 of 27 starts and earned $230,755; he once raced for $10,000 claiming earlier in his career. This was the first stakes victory for Raven, who began training in 2012 and only last winter moved her stable to Tampa after being based mostly at far west tracks in the U.S. and Canada in earlier years.

Diamond Oops, the 9-5 program favorite, was one of two early scratches. He was third in the Gulfstream Sprint shortly after the Turf Dash was run.

Lightning City

Payntdembluesaway sat just off a quick pace set by Senora Roma before drawing off in the upper stretch to prevail by 3 1/4 lengths for her second turf-sprint stakes triumph.

Ridden by Pablo Morales, Payntdembluesaway returned $6.40 as second choice in a full field of 12 fillies and mares after finishing in 56.73 seconds.

Jane Cibelli trains Payntdembluesaway, a Kentucky-bred by Paynter, for All My Hart Racing at Palm Meadows on the Atlantic Coast. The 6-year-old mare now has won 9 of 15 starts and earned $237,920, with the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash at Gulfstream Park in early December being her most notable prior win. At 3, she had been risked for a $16,000 claiming tag on three occasions.

Poseidon’s Passion made a belated run to be second, a neck before Senora Roma. Mamba Wamba, the 9-5 favorite off an eye-catching North American debut at Gulfstream, was rank through the turn and never a factor, finishing 10th.