Inaugural, Sandpiper stakes highlight all-juvenile card

Juveniles will take the stage Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, with a 10-race card comprising races for 2-year-olds highlighted by a pair of $100,000 sprint stakes, the Inaugural and the Sandpiper.

A field of six has been entered for the Inaugural, slotted early on the card as the third race. Several in the field already have stakes experience, starting right on the rail with the speedy Poppy’s Pride.

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A Florida-bred gelding by standout young state sire Khozan, Poppy’s Pride has never been worse than third in five starts, all for trainer Michael Yates. He comes off two pacesetting stakes victories, beating open company in the seven-furlong Armed Forces Stakes on Sept. 26 at Gulfstream and statebreds in the 6 1/2-furlong Juvenile Sprint Stakes on Nov. 14 at Gulfstream West. He earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 72 in the Juvenile Sprint.

“He is a very straightforward horse,” Yates said. “Prior to his first start, he was showing talent to us. His gate works were pretty impressive. He’s run how he trained. He’s gotten better every time we’ve run him.”

Samy Camacho, who leads the Tampa rider standings with 10 winners through Wednesday, will be aboard for the first time as Poppy’s Pride looks to flash his speed from the rail.

Poppy’s Pride will face a familiar statebred foe in Gatsby. The colt won his debut in April at Gulfstream, defeating Golden Pal, who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. After finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor when shipping to Churchill Downs, Gatsby rebounded to finish second in the Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager. He earned a Beyer of 79, narrowly the top number in this field.

After finishing off the board in two other Florida Sire stakes, he was a rallying second in the Juvenile Sprint to Poppy’s Pride, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.

Arrest Me Red is coming off a win in the Atlantic Beach at Aqueduct going six furlongs on turf, earning a 78 Beyer.

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The Sandpiper for 2-year-old fillies is set as the ninth race on the card. Feeling Mischief gives leading sire and juvenile sire Into Mischief another 2-year-old stakes performer toward the end of this stellar season. Feeling Mischief won her debut in August at Colonial Downs going five furlongs, setting the pace and drawing clear to win by eight lengths with a Beyer of 74. She stretched out to 6 1/2 furlongs in an allowance race in October at Keeneland, making a bid inside in the stretch before weakening late to be third.

Gulf Coast won his debut Nov. 10 at Indiana Grand. The filly stalked the pace and made a steady drive in the four path to win by a half-length. Her Beyer of 79 is the highest in this field.

Briella, trained by Yates, will likely show speed from the outside post in the field of 13. She was second in the Juvenile Fillies Sprint on Nov. 14 at Gulfstream West.

◗ The maiden special weight races on the juvenile showcase card include the eighth race at a mile on the turf. Brother in Arms, a $2.9 million Keeneland September yearling purchase last year by Godolphin, makes his long-awaited debut. A War Front colt out of Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can, Brother in Arms will have Camacho in the irons. He is trained by Bill Mott.

Mott has another well-bred debut entrant in the field in Kayaker, a Pioneerof the Nile colt out of Grade 1-winning millionaire Hooh Why. The colt was a $350,000 Keeneland yearling for Grandview Equine and Cheyenne Stables.