Classic Causeway surges in final furlong, wins Tampa Bay Derby
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Brian Lynch would have made his way into the Tampa Bay Downs winner’s circle a bit earlier, but the popular Australian stopped a half-dozen or so times to give out bear hugs to friends in the crowd. Lynch had just watched his blossoming stable star, Classic Causeway, control every step of the 42nd Tampa Bay Derby, getting the trainer ever closer to his first Kentucky Derby.
“It’s a great thrill to be involved with this horse,” a jubilant Lynch said after Classic Causeway, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., drew clear in the final furlong Saturday in winning the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby, one of the last 50-20-10-5 qualifying races ahead of the May 7 Kentucky Derby. “It’s exciting, very exciting.”
Just as he did in dominating the Sam F. Davis four weeks beforehand at Tampa, Classic Causeway broke from the gate like a rocket, immediately taking the lead from post 4 in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby. The Giant’s Causeway colt quickly acceded to Ortiz’s commands, maintaining a comfortable lead of about a length for much of the way before drawing off with authority to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths.
Grantham, a 37-1 shot, was along to get second under Hector Diaz Jr., a neck before Shipsational in a field of 10 3-year-olds.
Classic Causeway, bred and owned by Clarke M. Cooper and the Kentucky West Racing of Patrick O’Keefe, paid $3.60 as a heavy favorite after finishing in 1:44.90 over a track rated good. He was given an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He gave me the same performance again” as in the Davis, said Ortiz, who was winning the annual Tampa Bay Downs showcase event for the first time.
“He broke good. He gave me good position, and I just went from there. He was traveling perfect all the way to the three-eighths pole. When I asked him, he was there. Getting close to the wire he was looking around a little bit, but I felt I had a lot more horse.
“He’s acting like he can carry his speed more, from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter. These last couple of races, he’s been acting after the wire like he still has more left. I don't want to jinx it, but I think there is something more there. Hopefully, we've saved him for the right race.
“He’s great when he leaves the gate because you don't have to use him. You don’t have to ask him to do anything. He does it by himself. Then he relaxes going into the first turn and on the backside. He waits for you. He’s a smart horse. Good horses do that. I hope he stays sound and healthy.”
Lynch joked that the quick starts for Classic Causeway “come from hanging around for years with my best buddy, Wesley Ward,” referring to the veteran trainer widely known for getting horses to break very swiftly, “and he showed me how to get them out of there.”
On a more serious note, Lynch said he would “take things one step at a time” in determining how best to get Classic Causeway to the 148th Derby in peak form. Whether or not that means the colt will race once more in something like the April 9 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland or train straight into the Derby is among the key decisions. Classic Causeway now has collected 66 qualifying points, more than enough to make the 20-horse cutoff.
“We’ll take him back over to Palm Meadows and enjoy this for a day or two before we start thinking about all that,” Lynch said amid the winner’s circle delirium when referring to his winter training base on the Atlantic Coast.
Classic Causeway, a chestnut bred in Kentucky, now has won three of five starts. After earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure in his September debut at Saratoga, he was third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, both of those as the favorite.
After the top three, the order was Golden Glider, Trademark, Spin Wheel, Belgrade, Giant Game, Happy Boy Rocket, and Major General.
Twelve originally were entered. Money Supply was scratched Friday by Chad Brown to wait instead for the Bay Shore at Aqueduct or Lafayette at Keeneland. Strike Hard was scratched Saturday morning after spiking a fever, according to trainer Matt Williams.
The $2 exacta (4-1) paid $52.80, the $1 trifecta (4-1-9) returned $75.80, and the 10-cent superfecta (4-1-9-6) was worth $533.80.
Ortiz had three earlier winners on the 12-race card, including the Florida Oaks with Dolce Zel and the Columbia with Heaven Street. He had five wins on the Sam Davis card.
Handle record smashed
All-sources handle on the 12-race Festival Day card that included four other stakes was $20,778,222 million, easily crushing the former record of $15.2 million set last year on Festival Day. Helping the Tampa cause was the fact both Aqueduct and Laurel canceled racing Saturday because of poor weather.