Imperial Hint the big name on Florida Cup card

Imperial Hint will make his eagerly awaited return to action Sunday as the marquee name among six statebred races that make up the 16th annual Florida Cup at Tampa Bay Downs.

Initially intended for the Dubai Golden Shaheen, Imperial Hint instead is expected to face the likes of Delta Bluesman and Mo Cash in the Florida Cup Sprint, one of six $100,000 stakes for Florida-breds at the Oldsmar, Fla., track. Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. hopes to use the Sprint as a tightener for his first major goal of 2018 for Imperial Hint, the Grade 2 Churchill Downs on the May 5 Kentucky Derby undercard.

“He is doing fantastic,” said Carvajal. “He got a little virus and we lost time with him, so we couldn’t make the trip to Dubai. But he is very good now and we hope he will run like he usually does Sunday.”

Imperial Hint has earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in his last six starts, including a 109 when second to divisional champion Roy H in his most recent start, the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar. The 5-year-old horse is owned by Raymond Mamone. Javier Castellano, who rode Imperial Hint in his last three starts, will be in from Gulfstream Park for the mount.

The Florida Cup events will be the last stakes run at Tampa until a pair of Florida-bred races on the final weekend of the meet, May 5. The other Sunday races are the Turf Classic and Distaff Turf, which like the Sprint are for older horses, and three races for 3-year-olds: the Sophomore, the Sophomore Fillies, and the Sophomore Turf.