King Cab leads all the way in Sophomore
The wealth was spread all around Sunday when the 19th Florida Cup series was held amid ideal conditions at Tampa Bay Downs.
Six straight sponsored stakes for Florida-breds, each worth $110,000, anchored a 12-race card at the Oldsmar, Fla., track. Javier Castellano, with two winners, was the only jockey, trainer, owner, or breeder to register more than a single victory.
The first three stakes were for 3-year-olds and the last three were for older horses; three were run on a fast main track and three were run on a firm turf.
Sophomore
King Cab led every step of this seven-furlong race, never allowing his five rivals to get close when finishing in a swift 1:22.25. Emisael Jaramillo was aboard the Noble Bird gelding for trainer Eddie Plesa.
Lightening Larry was second, 4 3/4 lengths behind the winner, while Dean Delivers labored home fourth as the even-money favorite.
King Cab, owned by a three-way partnership, returned $9.60 with his third win from five career starts. He was bred by Ocala Stud, Edward Wienst, and William Terrill.
Sophomore Turf
Treasure King ($4.40) came through as the favorite in this 1 1/16-mile turf race, reeling in Tapthespeedofsound in the final 70 yards to stay unbeaten in two career starts for Mathis Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher.
Ridden by Castellano, Treasure King loomed into contention with a quarter-mile left before finally getting past a stubborn Tapthespeedofsound by three-quarters of a length. Merlin was third and C My Meister fourth in a field of seven.
Treasure King, a debut winner last month over Tapeta at Gulfstream Park, finished in 1:42.19. The Treasure Beach colt was bred by Patricia Generazio.
Sophomore Fillies
Midnight Stroll ($16.80), just like King Cab, made the front at once from an outside post and never looked back in dominating this filly counterpart to the Sophomore.
Ridden by Pablo Morales for trainer John Terranova, Midnight Stroll finished seven furlongs in 1:23.12 when 3 1/4 lengths clear of Rapturous. Outfoxed, the 4-5 favorite, was no real threat when third, while Hot Peppers faded to last as the 8-5 second choice in a field of seven.
Midnight Stroll, a Not This Time filly who was coming off a two-turn maiden win at Tampa, is owned by a three-way partnership. She was bred by Carolin Von Rosenberg.
Turf Classic
Front-running Drama Chorus ($25) grimly held off a stretch-long bid from Max K.O. when notching his first stakes victory in 21 career starts in this 1 1/8-mile turf race.
Ridden by Alonso Quinonez, Drama Chorus was coming off a narrow defeat in a March 9 allowance at Tampa when getting the nod this time. The 5-year-old Big Drama gelding won by a neck when finishing in 1:48.58. Lure Him In was third, another 3 3/4 lengths back in a field of nine, while Shamrocket, the 3-5 favorite for Pletcher, never challenged when fourth.
Tim Padilla trains Drama Chorus for owner-breeder Pete Mattson.
Distaff Turf
Heavily favored Shifty She ($3.20) and jockey Edwin Gonzalez controlled this 1 1/16-mile turf race from the start before drawing off in the final furlong in a convincing triumph.
A Grade 3 winner last fall, Shifty She finished in 1:41.43 when four lengths ahead of Our Flash Drive, who edged Mona Stella by a nose for second in a field of nine fillies and mares.
This was the fourth stakes win, and seventh overall, from 13 career starts for Shifty She, a 6-year-old Gone Astray mare bred by Chris Pallas and George Klein. She is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for the Pedigree Partners group managed by Pallas, who reiterated the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 11 at Belmont Park is the main goal for the first half of the year.
Sprint
Pudding ($9.60) battled back under Castellano to capture this six-furlong race by a neck after Tap It to Win had swept to command with a bold rush in the upper stretch. Officiating, a last-out winner of the Grade 3 Tom Fool at Aqueduct, was no factor when fourth as the 7-5 favorite in a field that scratched down to just six older horses.
Always in contention from his outside post, Pudding was winning for the ninth time in 33 starts. He was claimed for $25,000 last July by trainer Elizabeth Dobles in partnership with the Imaginary Stables of John Guarnere.
Pudding, a 7-year-old gelding by Two Step Salsa, finished in 1:09.01. He was bred by JSL Thoroughbreds.
** The six stakes were linked together in the Ultimate 6 jackpot wager, with each winning 20-cent ticket returning $4,512.22. The winning numbers were 6-6-7-4-6-7.
** The Florida Cup concludes the stakes schedule at the 2021-22 Tampa meet. Four-day race weeks continue through May 8.