OLDSMAR, Fla. – While some may be hoping to use Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby as a stepping-stone to the May 3 Kentucky Derby, trainer Brian Lynch is using the 1 1/16-mile race to get Owen Almighty to a different event at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Lynch feels the Tampa Bay Derby is a good prep to get Owen Almighty to the Pat Day Mile, a one-turn-mile race at Churchill on the Kentucky Derby undercard. The Tampa Bay Derby gives him eight weeks to the Pat Day Mile whereas a race like the Lafayette at Keeneland on April 4 would give him only four. Owen Almighty has a few advantages over his six rivals Saturday – which includes the two-time Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick. Owen Almighty has two recent races over the Tampa strip, although he doesn’t have a win to show for it. He crossed the wire first in the Pasco Stakes on Jan. 11 but was disqualified to fifth for interference. He came back in last month’s Sam F. Davis at 1 1/16 miles and finished second, beaten a half-length by John Hancock in a battle royale from start to finish. The absence of John Hancock – who is awaiting the March 22 Louisiana Derby – also made this spot attractive. “I think he handled the stretch-out fine. He ran into a very good horse, potentially,” Lynch said. “He went through a ding-dong battle and came up a half-length short, but he got a two-turn race under his belt. He’s trained like he’s come on from it. He’ll be a little bit more seasoned this time around.” Lynch said that even a win Saturday, which would award Owen Almighty 50 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby, will lead to the Pat Day Mile. Owen Almighty figures to be on or near the lead after breaking from the rail under Irad Ortiz Jr. Patch Adams is looking to bounce back from a fourth-place finish as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park. Trainer Brad Cox said the horse was “acting weird” when he returned to Florida from Oaklawn, which makes him believe something was amiss with the colt for that race. “He was flat. He didn’t break quite as well as we needed to,” Cox said. “He ran on, he made a move around the turn, but he had a little too much to do. He’s a fast horse. I think we’re looking to break and be involved early.” Florent Geroux rides from post 7. Chancer McPatrick likely will be favored in the Tampa Bay Derby. At 2, he won the Hopeful and Champagne, both Grade 1 stakes, before finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He came out of that race needing surgery to remove a “tiny flake” from an ankle, trainer Chad Brown said. He also had a quarter crack on a hind foot. Chancer McPatrick was effective rallying from last or next to last. Brown will equip Chancer McPatrick with blinkers for the first time Saturday, hoping to leave him less to do late. Chancer McPatrick has twice worked in blinkers. “I was reluctant to make a change because he won two Grade 1s without them,” Brown said. “He’s losing some position in his races, even though he’s run some impressive races. I just thought he needed a little bit of a spark.” Brown also sends out Hill Road in the Tampa Bay Derby. Hill Road, then trained by Ireland-based Adrian Murray, rallied from last to finish third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, when making his U.S. and dirt debut. Brown is equipping him with blinkers as well. “He did pick up the bit with them,” Brown said about a Sunday workout. Chancer McPatrick, under Flavien Prat, breaks from post 2 while Hill Road has post 3 and Tyler Gaffalione. Filoso, trained by Chad Summers, will be getting blinkers for his 3-year-old debut. At 2, Filoso won a one-mile maiden race at Saratoga and finished third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity before running sixth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club last Nov 30. Dylan Davis rides from post 5. “Don’t let him drop so far out of it,” Summers said when asked about adding blinkers. “We’re not expecting to be [close] early, but I don’t want to give up so much ground early on. If we’re five lengths out of it instead of eight we’re okay.” Brodeur, trained by Mark Casse, won an Oaklawn allowance going 1 1/16 miles on the front end on Jan. 26. Jose Ortiz rides from post 4. Naughty Rascal, trained by Gerald Bennett, was the beneficiary of the disqualification of Owen Almighty in the Pasco. He finished sixth in the Sam Davis. The Tampa Bay Derby, which gives out Kentucky Derby points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale, goes as race 11 on a 12-race card that begins at 12:05 p.m. and includes four other stakes, led by the Grade 2, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes for females on turf. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.