Illman: How I'll play Tampa Bay for Sunday, April 2
Sunday's Florida Cup card at Tampa Bay Downs features several state-bred stakes races.
Mike Beer and I took a look at the late Pick 4 sequence. That free video is available for viewing at the link below:
You'll notice that those plays are in Ticketmaker format. Here's a link to my Ticketmaker play:
As for the individual races themselves, my preferred horse on the card is RATTLESDEN (12) in the finale, a conditioned claimer at six furlongs on the main track. Rattlesden's three sprint races at this meet without blinkers have all been good, and he was compromised in his most recent appearance last month. In that race, Rattlesden pressed a four-ply pace while three wide and in between runners, and then was shuffled back a bit on the backstretch to race behind horses at a crucial juncture on the turn. Rattlesden got out and was rallying a bit in the stretch, but he was steadied from in between horses very late in the game. All in all, it was a good effort, and a repeat of that race should put him right in the picture again. Rattlesden is 7 to 2 on the morning line and is a fair price at those odds.
In keeping with the "7 to 2" theme, here are a couple of other horses to consider at those morning line odds:
Race 9 - SADIE BE GOOD (5)
Exits a key race won by next-out Sunland Oaks winner Ghalia. Sadie Be Good pressed that wire-to-wire winner early before fading in the stretch. She must deal with other speeds, but seems well spotted by Kiaran McLaughlin in the Sophomore Fillies Stakes.
Race 11 - CINCY BELLE (1)
Cincy Belle can be very headstrong leading the gate, and it is up to Julien Leparoux to get her settled in behind horses while saving ground entering the first turn. If she does relax early, she should be very tough in this heat. She adds Lasix for the first time and drops in class after chasing a sharp Graham Motion-trained runner.
Good luck this afternoon!
