Lynch 2-year-olds sweep Inaugural, Sandpiper

Over the last five years the trainer Brian Lynch, based during the winter mainly at the Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida, has started but four horses in dirt stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs. Classic Causeway in 2022 won the Sam Davis and the Tampa Bay Derby, and, on Saturday, Lynch swept two six-furlong 2-year-old races with Donut God in the $100,000 Inaugural and Mrs Worldwide in the $100,000 Sandpiper.

Naughty Rascal pushed Donut God in the Inaugural, making a sustained run at pacesetting Donut God through the homestretch, but the 1-2 favorite held him at bay, winning by three-quarters of a length. Samy Camacho rode the winner, who paid $3.80 and clocked a fast 1:09.13 over a fast track.

Mrs Worldwide rallied from fourth under Samuel Marin, besting Hollygrove by half a length. She paid $13.40 and was timed in 1:10.07 in winning her second in a row.

The Boersma Family’s Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing campaigns both winners.

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Donut God also won his second straight, which makes him 2-2 to start his career, the Inaugural following close on the heels of a sharp front-running score going five furlongs on a sloppy Churchill Downs surface on Nov. 14. Donut God won that maiden dash easily, but faced a sterner challenge Saturday from the stakes-winning Naughty Rascal, well meant on the day at odds of 9-5 but unable to reel-in Donut God, who went his opening half mile, unpressured, in 45.12. Third-place Candycrumbs chunked home 8 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up.

Flying Dutchmen paid $400,000 for Donut God at a 2-year-old in training auction earlier this year. The colt, by Into Mischief out of Sweet Kisses, by Carpe Diem, isn’t especially large, but he’s very athletic and powerful, and Lynch has high hopes for him. Those hopes, if Lynch hews to the plan he outlined in an interview earlier this week, have Donut God moving on to the Swale Stakes on Feb. 1 at Gulfstream.

It was at Gulfstream on Nov. 16 that Mrs Worldwide broke through with a stakes win, her first, while facing Florida-restricted competition. The Sandpiper, an open race, presented a sterner challenge that Mrs Worldwide proved up for. Stalking a half-mile in 45.59, Mrs Worldwide got the jump on the closers, nosing to the front at the stretch call and holding clear Hollygrove for a second straight peak performance.

Mrs Worldwide, a $100,000 2-year-old purchase, is by Global Campaign out of Scatmeifucan, by Scat Daddy, and she capped a perfect Tampa stakes afternoon for her owners and trainer.

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