Dawgmentality better suited in allowance
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Ron Potts thought he had two 3-year-olds for the Columbia Stakes on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, but the trainer wound up saddling only Smoke Lightening.
Given how dominant Talk of the Nation was in winning the Columbia for Shug McGaughey, Potts surely was better off saving Dawgmentality for the Wednesday feature at Tampa. Smoke Lightening ran creditably when seventh at 77-1, but was overmatched by some talented shippers.
Dawgmentality “got a little sick and missed a work” the previous weekend, said Potts. “But I did think he’d been training good enough that he could’ve been competitive” in the Columbia.
Instead, Dawgmentality, with Erin Walker riding from post 7, resurfaces in the second of two Wednesday allowances as another four-day race week gets under way. The $28,000, first-level dash at six furlongs drew a field of eight as the sixth of nine races on a card that starts at 12:25 p.m. Eastern.
Dawgmentality, a Pennsylvania-bred by Smarty Jones, will be returning from a layoff of nearly five months when racing for the first time on dirt after having competed exclusively on Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. A September maiden romp was followed by a runner-finish in an open stakes sprint in early October, then by a decent third in a restricted stakes later that month.
“He’s been working together with Smoke Lightening the last couple of months and doing really well,” said Potts. “He came back last week” – March 8 – “with a nice work. I don’t like burning an allowance condition with a PA-bred, but he’s ready to run, and maybe there are better things ahead for him than PA-bred races.”
Call Me Ice Man (post 8), with leading jockey Samy Camacho named, looks like the top opponent for Dawgmentality in the nominal feature. The gray Frosted colt has been second and third in two tries at the meet at this same condition. He’s one of four in here entered for an optional $75,000 claiming tag.
Dawgmentality will be ridden by Erin Walker, whose claim to fame in a nine-year career remains an allowance victory in July 2015 aboard eventual sprint champion Runhappy at Indiana Grand (now Horseshoe Indianapolis).
The first allowance of the day will be run about an hour earlier as race 4. A field of eight older fillies and mares headed by the sharp last-out winner San Costantino will go seven furlongs for a $24,500 purse.
Purses listed here do not include additional bonuses for Florida-breds.
The afternoon ends with a terrific maiden special weight going 1 1/16 miles on the turf, with 3-year-olds from the powerhouse barns of McGaughey, Chad Brown, Christophe Clement, and Graham Motion entered.
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