In Florida Cup, Tap It to Win tries what he does best – sprinting

After being canceled last March shortly after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Florida Cup, originated in 2003, returns to Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday. Six $110,000 stakes for registered Florida-breds on both dirt and turf highlight a 12-race card that begins at noon Eastern. The card has proven popular and should pose some handicapping challenges; average field size for the card is 10 entrants.

Among the highlights is the $110,000 Sprint, which includes a pair of familiar names in the field of 10 in Tap It to Win and Shivaree.

Tap It to Win, a homebred for Charlotte Weber’s storied Live Oak Plantation, kicks off his 4-year-old season for trainer Mark Casse. The Tapit ridgling won consecutive races to start his 3-year-old campaign in 2020, earning him a shot in the Belmont Stakes, last year contested at 1 1/8 miles on June 20 as the first leg of the reconstituted Triple Crown. Tap It to Win set the pace in the Belmont and wound up fifth. He cut back in distance for the rest of the season, finishing second to Echo Town in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga and third to Rushie and Sonneman in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs. He has won both his starts at Sunday’s six-furlong distance, and will have Antonio Gallardo in the irons.

Shivaree, trained by Ralph Nicks, was a minor stakes winner early in his career before finishing second in the Grade 3 Swale and second in the Hutcheson. The son of prominent Florida sire Awesome of Course then also ventured onto the Triple Crown trail, creditably stretching out to finish second to Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. However, he was unplaced in two other points races for the Kentucky Derby over the summer.

Shivaree eventually cut back and found the winner’s circle again in the FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes in December at Tampa. He is unplaced in two open-company outings since, most recently finishing fifth in the Pelican Stakes at Tampa. Corey Lanerie has the call on Sunday.

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Souper Stonehenge, also trained by Casse for Live Oak, was second by a head in the Pelican with a Beyer Speed Figure of 93, the top last-out number in this field. Cajun Brother, trained by Michael Yates, won the Sunshine Sprint in January and was most recently third in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint. He earned Beyers of 90 and 91, respectively, in those efforts.

R Mercedes Boy is coming off consecutive allowance wins at Gulfstream, the most recent of those against open company. He will be a pace factor from the rail under Paco Lopez.

Chess’s Dream off open-company wins

Elsewhere on the card, Chess’s Dream, coming off two solid performances against open company, looms large against his fellow Florida-breds in the $110,000 Sophomore Turf Stakes. From the first crop of regally bred Jess’s Dream – the son of Hall of Famers Curlin and Rachel Alexandra – Chess’s Dream won the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy Stakes by two lengths in January for trainer Mike Maker. He then rallied to be third in the Palm Beach Stakes on Feb. 27.

Chess’s Dream will face only one other stakes winner in this field. Hot Blooded won the Proud Man on the Gulfstream turf last August. He most recently faded to seventh in the Palm Beach after pressing the pace and briefly making the lead.

Willy Boi better sprinting

Willy Boi comes into the $110,000 Sophomore Stakes, a dirt sprint for 3-year-olds, having won three of four career starts. After winning his first two outings against statebreds, he stretched out to try a Kentucky Derby points race, finishing eighth in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. Cutting back to a more favorable distance, he won the Hutcheson Stakes.

Breeze On By won three of four outings as a juvenile, including the Dr. Fager and Affirmed divisions of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series. He was last seen finishing second in the In Reality division in September.

Gatsby’s multiple stakes placings include a runner-up effort in the Dr. Fager. He recently scored an allowance victory at Gulfstream.

The filly counterpoint to this race, the $110,000 Sophomore Fillies, also rematches familiar foes from the Florida Sire series. Go Jo Jo Go won the Desert Vixen division, with Princess Secret second. The latter turned the tables in the Susan’s Girl – with Go Jo Jo Go third – then went on to win the My Dear Girl. Both fillies are by reigning Florida leading sire Khozan.

◗ The stakes-seasoned Beautiful Lover makes her first start for Christophe Clement in the $110,000 Distaff Turf. Previously trained by Chad Brown, the mare was a stakes winner at Monmouth as a 3-year-olds in 2019. Last year, she was second by a half-length in the Grade 3 Matchmaker at Monmouth, and second in the Grade 2 Hillsborough in a well-traveled campaign. She finished her season, and her tenure with Brown’s string, with a third-place finish in the All Along in September at Laurel.

Summering, Lovely Luvy, Kelsey’s Cross, and Bienville Street all directly exit graded stakes company coming into the Distaff Turf against statebreds.

In the corresponding race, the $110,000 Turf Classic, Me and Mr. C, another representative for Khozan on this card, owns the top last-out Beyer. He comes in off an allowance victory on this Tampa Bay Downs course in which he bested stakes winner Billy Batts by two lengths, earning a 90 Beyer.