Munnys Gold stands out on Florida Cup program
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An outstanding program is on tap for Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs when the Florida Cup is run for the 20th time in Oldsmar, Fla. Six sponsored stakes for registered Florida-breds, each worth $110,000, anchor a 12-race card that starts at 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
The Florida Cup comprises races 5 through 10, with the first going at 2:32. Three are for 3-year-olds and three are for older horses; three are on dirt and three on turf. Overall, the stakes are deep and competitive, even with the Sophomore Fillies likely to have a heavy favorite in Munnys Gold. A solid undercard includes two allowances (races 3 and 4) and two maiden-specials (races 11 and 12).
Inaugurated in 2003 as a cooperative effort among various industry entities, the Florida Cup is billed as a celebration of the state’s breeding and racing heritage. The series was canceled three years ago during the onset of the global pandemic.
Unlike at many other tracks, Lasix is permitted in stakes at Tampa (except for Kentucky Derby and Oaks qualifiers), and in fact all but two of the combined 53 entries in the Florida Cup races will be treated with the diuretic.
The Florida Cup marks the end of the stakes schedule at a 2022-23 Tampa meet that effectively runs through May 6, Kentucky Derby Day.
Mostly sunny skies and a high of 86 are in the local forecast. A sizable ontrack crowd can be expected.
Here’s a quick look at the Sunday stakes:
Sophomore (race 5)
Zydeceaux couldn’t handle the longer distances nor the tougher company when unplaced in Tampa’s two Derby preps, the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby, but the speedy gelding should appreciate a return to seven furlongs when he faces just five other 3-year-olds in the Sophomore. He’ll have Samuel Marin aboard from post 4, looking to replicate his winning effort, and field-high 79 Beyer Speed Figure, in the Jan. 14 Pasco.
Dangerous Effort, This Run’s for You, and Diamond Cool look like the top challengers.
Turf Classic (race 6)
Superstar jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., in from his Gulfstream Park winter base by way of a Saturday detour to Turfway Park, has the call in this 1 1/8-mile turf race on Me and Mr. C, one of a handful of top contenders in a competitive lineup of nine older horses. Me and Mr. C most recently got an 89 Beyer when third at 2-1 in the Sunshine series in January at Gulfstream.
Jais’s Solitude, who got an 89 Beyer in a statebred turf allowance at Gulfstream two starts back, also figures in the mix, along with Lure Him In, Drama Chorus, and Cashier Check.
Sophomore Fillies (race 7)
This looks like the proverbial “bingo free space” in your multi-race wagering sequences, as Munnys Gold, with Ortiz riding for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, brings a spotless record into this seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. The dark bay Munnings filly earned an eye-popping 101 Beyer on debut last summer at Monmouth Park, then an 88 in her lone subsequent appearance in late January as a 1-10 favorite in a statebred allowance at Gulfstream.
Pletcher ultimately wants to try Munnys Gold in an open stakes and actually considered the Davona Dale earlier this month before deciding to give her one more start in restricted company. She’ll be a prohibitive choice in a field of eight that includes Suncoast Stakes winner Dreaming of Gold.
Sophomore Turf (race 8)
Boppy O, racing for the Hall of Fame tandem of Javier Castellano and Mark Casse, figures as the horse to beat in a well-matched field of eight 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The Bolt d’Oro colt won the Grade 3 With Anticipation last summer at Saratoga and has rounded back to top form in recent months.
Rudder’s Men (Ortiz) is the wild card of the group, trying grass and two turns for Pletcher for the first time, while Anamnestic, Swan Lake, and Heathguard loom on the fringes.
Sprint (race 9)
The uncoupled Lea Farms duo of Lightening Larry and Willy Boi both are Grade 3 winners with exceptional early speed, so they’ll need to stay out of each other’s way in the opening stages of this six-furlong race to produce optimum results for the Jorge Delgado stable. If they somehow enter into a protracted duel to lessen their chances, Gatsby is the most logical candidate to capitalize from off the pace.
Distaff Turf (race 10)
This 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares epitomizes the ambition of the Florida Cup with a terrific mix of up-and-comers within its oversubscribed field. Frosted Oats, in from Payson Park for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, could be a lukewarm choice over Sweet Dani Girl, a two-back Sunshine winner getting Castellano and first-time Lasix.
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