Meet's first big day approaching

Nominations are out for a trio of stakes that mark the first big stakes day of 2018 at Tampa. Those Jan. 20 races, labeled as the Skyway Festival, are the $125,000 Pasco for 3-year-olds and the $125,000 Gasparilla for 3-year-old fillies, both at seven furlongs, and the $50,000 Wayward Lass for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

The first graded races of the year at Tampa will be run Feb. 10 when the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a Kentucky Derby points event, heads a group of four stakes.

◗ A $27,500 first-level allowance serves as the highlight of a 10-race Wednesday card, which kicks off another four-day week at Tampa. First Dudette, with leading jockey Antonio Gallardo to ride, figures to come favored in a field of six 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs. First post is 12:25 p.m. Eastern, with the feature (race 7) set for 3:23.

Starting with New Year’s Eve, Sundays were added to the live racing calendar, with dark days now being Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. There will be no racing this Monday, despite it being a federal holiday.

◗ Kathleen O’Connell has had a terrific start to the 2017-18 meet, surging to the top of the trainer standings with 11 wins from her first 44 starters. She is followed by Gerald Bennett and Dennis Ward with eight wins each.