Jackson has big speed-figure edge in Silver Charm

Jackson’s past and future will probably be in the sprint game, but he’ll never get a better chance to win going long than in Saturday’s $100,000 Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Jackson will almost certainly be a heavy favorite in the Silver Charm, for eligible Florida-bred 3-year-old colts and geldings and carded as race 3. Eligible Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies get their shot in race 6 in the Ivanavinalot Florida Sire Stakes, which is likely to come down to a battle between Starship Nala and Wildwood’s Beauty. Both races are at one mile and 40 yards over the main track.

Jackson has won two stakes, both for statebreds: the Juvenile Sprint at Gulfstream Park West in November and the Sophomore Stakes at Tampa on March 31. He’s never run farther than the seven furlongs of the Sophomore, but he has a huge pace and Beyer Speed Figure advantage over his four rivals in the Silver Charm. Trained by Jose Pinchin, Jackson has earned Beyers of 80 in his last two races. He has the four highest Beyers in the field among his eight starts and has shown the kind of sprint speed his opponents can’t match. Jackson, a son of Kantharos owned and bred by Tracy Pinchin, should be able to roll out to an easy lead under Pablo Morales, and his class should carry him to the wire.

Lyrical Note hasn’t done much wrong in his two races, both maiden $32,000 claiming races on turf at Tampa. He was beaten a neck March 17, then won by 4 1/2 lengths going 1 1/16 miles April 10. Trainer Joan Scott claimed Lyrical Note out of that last race. If the Currency Swap colt handles dirt as well as he handles turf, he will be running at Jackson in the stretch of the Silver Charm.

The Ivanavinalot attracted five fillies and is more wide open than the Silver Charm. Starship Nala and Wildwood’s Beauty were separated by a head as the top two finishers in a statebred optional-claiming sprint at Gulfstream two months ago and meet again going long. Both have run and won once since that race, with Starship Nala winning an open optional-claiming sprint at Gulfstream and Wildwood’s Beauty taking the Sophomore Fillies for statebreds at Tampa.

Starship Nala handled two turns just fine the only time she tried, running a distant second to Cookie Dough in the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl at Gulfstream last September. Wildwood’s Beauty has never run farther than the seven furlongs of the Sophomore Fillies, but she has won sitting off the leaders sprinting, a sign that a mile and 40 yards may be within her scope.

Here Comes Jackie rallied for third behind Wildwood’s Beauty in the Sophomore Fillies and might appreciate the extra distance of the Ivanavinalot. Jolie Bay, blinkers on, makes her first start off a $50,000 claim by trainer Rohan Crichton, who took her off Mark Casse out of a fifth-place finish in an optional-starter race on turf at Gulfstream on March 21.