Independence Hall will be tested in Sam F. Davis

OLDSMAR, Fla. – For a moment there, it looked like Independence Hall might’ve been a 1-5 shot when the Sam F. Davis is run Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.

But with the connections of Ajaaweed and Premier Star choosing the Davis over other Kentucky Derby preps, Independence Hall might well have to work harder than ever to remain unbeaten.

“I’m fine with that,” said Mike Trombetta, who trains Independence Hall for Eclipse Thoroughbreds, Twin Creeks Racing, and Bob and Kathleen Verrutti. “I didn’t want to be 1-5 anyway. Everything gets harder as you go along the Derby trail. This is shaping up as a legitimate test and we’d love to see him pass it.”

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

With Jose Ortiz back to ride, Independence Hall is the 6-5 favorite on the Tampa morning line. The dark bay Constitution colt will break from post 4 in a field of eight 3-year-olds in the 40th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Sam Davis, the lone Derby qualifier of the weekend. The 1 1/16-mile Davis goes as the 11th of 12 races on a Festival Preview Day card that starts at 12:12 p.m. Eastern. Post time for the Davis is 5:29.

The Davis is among the last 17-point preps (10-4-2-1), along with the Feb. 15 El Camino Real at Golden Gate Fields and Feb. 17 Southwest at Oaklawn Park. All other races will offer higher point values.

After winning his first three starts by a combined 21 lengths, Independence Hall has become one of the early favorites for the May 2 Derby. His handy running style seems adaptable to most any situation, and with an ample amount of speed among his seven Saturday rivals, Trombetta is confident Ortiz can work out a good trip.

“This horse will do anything,” he said. “Very generic – you just want to get away well and put yourself in good position.”

Ajaaweed (post 1, Joel Rosario), a late-running Shadwell Stable homebred, was considered for the 1 1/8-mile Withers last Saturday at Aqueduct before trainer Kiaran McLaughlin decided to stay closer to his Palm Meadows training base across the Florida peninsula.

“The Withers was very tempting,” said McLaughlin, who won the 2015 Davis with Ocean Knight. “But this is a good spot to start off. It’s a four-hour ship over and the colt is doing great. I’m fine with the one-hole, it’s the shortest way around there, and I’m glad we were able to get Joel back. Obviously we’d like to see him run well and then make plans off of that.”

Likewise, trainer Jorge Navarro was torn between the Davis and the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star next Saturday (Feb. 15) at Fair Grounds for Premier Star (post 6, John Velazquez). The Tapiture colt looked so good in winning back-to-back seven-furlong races at Gulfstream Park that he is among the 23 separately listed individuals in Pool 2 of the Derby Future Wager, which runs Friday through Sunday.

“Chances are, he might like that track,” said Navarro. “Yes, there’s a serious horse in there, but if we jump up and win, that shines the light on us. Plus the field isn’t all that big. I think it’s a perfect spot for the horse.”

As for Independence Hall, his temperament will come under close scrutiny Saturday.

Although he wound up a comfortable winner of his last race, the Jan. 1 Jerome, the Constitution colt threw a hissy fit prior to being saddled in the Aqueduct paddock. Trombetta believes the incident was an aberration and has done everything in his power to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

“I’ve schooled him four times down there and he hasn’t turned a hair,” he said. “Of course I’m still going to worry until I see him behave himself before this race, but I have to think he’s not going to be a problem.”

The rest of the Sam Davis field is Sole Volante, Albert Park, No Getting Over Me, Tiz Rye Time, and Chapalu.

Sole Volante and Chapalu both have won two of three starts, although they only have one dirt start between them.

The Davis comes four weeks ahead of the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby, an 85-point qualifier. The Davis is the last of four straight stakes on an excellent Saturday card that also includes the Grade 3 Endeavour (race 8), the Suncoast (race 9), and the Tampa Bay (race 10). There is not a pick four linking the stakes, but they’re all part of the 50-cent late pick five (races 8-12).

The purse for the Davis is listed as $250,000, but that includes a $50,000 bonus if the winner is a registered Florida-bred. The only such starter is longshot No Getting Over Me. The other three stakes also award a bonus to the winner if he or she is a Florida-bred.

The Davis honors the memory of a Tampa industrialist who served as track president from 1972-80, when the track was still known as Florida Downs.