Optional claimer might yield Florida Oaks fillies

OLDSMAR, Fla. – A couple of fillies coming off smart maiden victories will make their 3-year-old debuts Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs and could emerge as contenders for the Grade 3 Florida Oaks here March 12.

Princess Princess scored by a head at 21-1 in a $55,608 maiden special weight race going 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland turf Oct. 8 for trainer Ben Colebrook and earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure, easily the highest mark in Wednesday’s field. The lineup also includes My Impression, who won a $60,000 maiden special weight race by 1 1/4 lengths for trainer Shug McGaughey at Aqueduct on Nov. 27, earning a 74 Beyer for that 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Ten 3-year-old fillies, plus one also-eligible, signed up for Wednesday’s sixth race, a first-level optional $75,000 claimer that covers 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Princess Princess, a daughter of Discreet Cat, began her career with two sprints on dirt before scoring in her turf debut and her first route race. She tuned up for this race by working five furlongs in 1:01 here Jan. 11, the fastest of 18 works at the distance that day. She’ll have Daniel Centeno aboard for the first time when she breaks from the No. 10 post.

My Impression, a Sky Mesa filly, scored in her second start after getting pinched back at the start of her career debut at Belmont Park in October and finishing eighth. She’s been working steadily at Payson Park in south Florida and gets Lasix for the first time here. Jose Lezcano will ride the filly for the first time from post No. 6.

Lezcano and McGaughey also team up with Red Guard in Race 8, a first-level, $23,000 allowance covering a mile on turf that drew a field of 10 4-year-olds and up, plus two also-eligibles.

Red Guard, a 4-year-old Bernardini colt, will have blinkers added to his equipment after finishing fourth in a first-level optional $80,000 claimer on the Aqueduct turf last month. Prior to that, Red Guard won his maiden in his fifth start Nov. 13 over yielding turf at Aqueduct, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths with an 87 Beyer.

Moms Choice drills for stakes

Moms Choice breezed half a mile in 48.40 seconds from the gate here Saturday, the third-fastest of 61 works at the distance that day, and remains pointed to a stakes race at the Ocala Training Center on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

Trainer Larry Rivelli said the daughter of Kitten’s Joy will be entered in both the $100,000 fillies’ division of the OBS Championship Stakes and the $50,000 fillies’ division of the OBS Sprint. The 1 1/16-mile Championship and the six-furlong sprint are run on the OTC’s Safetrack synthetic surface and are for 3-year-old fillies who went through the sales ring at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Entries for the races were to be taken Tuesday.

“I’m going to enter her in both and take a look at it,” Rivelli said. “I might be leaning toward the Sprint.”

Moms Choice was the runner-up to Ruthless Quality in the $300,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Filly Stakes, a seven-furlong turf race in September. She had won her career debut, a maiden special weight sprint on Arlington Park’s Polytrack in August.

Last month, Moms Choice was favored in a first-level allowance going a mile on turf here and set the pace before fading to fourth behind the Todd Pletcher-trained Spinamiss. Rivelli said Moms Choice lost a shoe in that race and sustained superficial cuts to the back of a leg.

Also from the Rivelli barn, Lewys Vaporizer breezed five furlongs in 1:02 here last Thursday, the third-fastest of 25 works at the distance. Lewys Vaporizer won the $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Mahoning Valley last out Nov. 23. The 4-year-old son of Lewis Michael is pointing toward the $100,000 Pelican Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up here Feb. 20, Rivelli said.

Rivelli said his 5-year-old mare Richies Sweetheart is being rested and won’t race again until the spring. She won three stakes last year sprinting on turf, including the Lightning City Stakes here Dec. 19, before finishing seventh against males in the Turf Dash here Jan. 9.

◗ At the OTC last Thursday, Grade 3 stakes winner Dynamic Sky breezed five furlongs in 1:01 for trainer Mark Casse, moving closer to his 6-year-old debut. Dynamic Sky hasn’t raced since finishing second to Aldous Snow in the Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes on the Woodbine turf in July. Casse said the horse will have several breezes at Palm Meadows before a race is picked out for him.

“He’s coming along really well,” Casse said.

◗ Attendance on “Cap Appreciation Day” on Saturday was announced at 7,314, the highest of the Tampa meet. The track was giving away free burnt-orange baseball caps with paid admission, and many jockeys signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans on the first floor of the grandstand before racing began.