Dimensionality needs a better trip this time

A slow pace and a wide trip certainly didn’t help Dimensionality when she finished a hard-trying second in a Nov. 21 maiden race at Churchill Downs six weeks ago.

Relocated to Florida for the winter, Dimensionality will break from the rail in a field of six newly turned 3-year-old fillies attempting to navigate one mile and 40 yards in Wednesday’s second race at Tampa Bay Downs. The nine-race New Year’s Day card has a listed first post of 12:28 p.m.

At Churchill, Dimensionality had the outside post in that eight-horse field and she was never able to save any ground when ultimately finishing second, 1 1/2 lengths behind Carolina Smokeshow in that 1 1/16-mile maiden race on Nov. 21. Anonima, fourth in that race, came back to win a maiden $100,000 claiming race at Oaklawn Park in her next start.

Dimensionality ran in that Nov. 21 race just three weeks after she finished fourth sprinting at Churchill.

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“She’s trained really excellent since she came out of Kentucky,” trainer John Terranova said. “I think those two races were a good progression. Got her down to Florida, she looks great.”

On Dec. 22, Dimensionality worked five furlongs in 1:01.20, the fastest of 17 breezes at the distance at Tampa. Dimensionality blew out three furlongs in 36.60 seconds on Sunday.

“Her numbers aren’t strong yet, but she’s a filly who shows up, hopefully she develops,” Terranova said. “She hasn’t been that fast Beyer-wise but there’s more to go forward on.”

Pablo Morales rides Dimensionality.

Force of Law, a daughter of Constitution, makes her fourth career start, but first on dirt, for trainer Christophe Clement. She raced twice on turf before finishing third behind a runaway winner Lush Lips, in a one mile and 70-yard synthetic race at Gulfstream on Nov. 23.

“We tried the grass and got beat but she ran okay. We tried synthetic and got beat but she ran okay,” Clement said. “She always works well on dirt, we had the choice of all three surfaces in Florida so we think it makes sense trying the dirt, especially at a mile.”

Samy Camacho rides Force of Law.

Securitylightning ran a solid second first time at this distance here on Dec. 31, albeit it was rained off the turf and for maiden $32,000 claiming. Queen in the Deck has finished second in two of three starts in maiden special weight races on dirt at Keeneland and Gulfstream, respectively.

Whirlawar and Allenhurst complete the field.

Ozara back in Friday allowance

Friday, at Tampa, Clement brings the two-time stakes winner Ozara back to the races in a third-level allowance race scheduled for one mile on turf.

Ozara, a 4-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega, won the Wait a While and Ginger Brew Stakes during the 2023-24 winter meet at Gulfstream. She hasn’t run since finishing second as the 4-5 favorite in the Sanibel Island at Gulfstream on March 30.

“Her last race was a very rough one. She bumped with another horse at the quarter pole and came back sore from the race,” Clement said. “We thought this might be a nice race to bring her back in.”

Mohawk Trail, a multiple stakes winner in Canada in 2023, returns to Tampa, where she finished second, beaten just a half-length, in a Florida-bred stakes here in March.

Damaso and Sensitivity are others to consider in that race.

Our Shot, Italian Soiree work

Among the 20 horses Terranova has based at Tampa are stakes performers Our Shot and Italian Soiree.

Our Shot, winner of the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in October, had his first workout since then on Sunday, breezing three furlongs in 36.40 seconds. Italian Soiree, second in the Grade 3 Adirondack on dirt at Saratoga and fourth and fifth in a pair of graded turf stakes, worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds on Sunday.

Terranova said depending how quickly Our Shot gets ready, he could be pointed to a turf sprint stakes at Gulfstream or the $125,000 Turf Dash at Tampa on Feb. 22. Back in 2023, Our Shot won a dirt allowance at Tampa.

Terranova said whatever he does with Our Shot in Florida is designed to have him ready for the Shakertown at Keeneland in early April.

Terranova has not made a set plan for Italian Soiree and has not yet decided on which surface he plans to have her make her first start of the year. In her most race, in October, Italian Soiree finished fifth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland.

“She had a little bit of a rough trip and wasn’t beaten all that far,” Terranova said. “We turned her out for a little bit, she’s filled out a lot, gotten stronger.”

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