Sometimes it seems like Todd Pletcher is beating up on the competition with one hand tied behind his back. When Pletcher is inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame later this year – an inevitability, even with voting not having yet begun – his remarkable record at Tampa Bay Downs probably won’t even get a mention because his innumerable feats elsewhere will take precedence. Big picture aside, it’s difficult to ignore the impact Pletcher has had in Tampa stakes for Kentucky Derby aspirants over the last two decades. He’s a six-time winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes, the local lead-in to the track’s marquee event, the Tampa Bay Derby – which Pletcher has won a record five times. Whether or not Pletcher can once again exert his dominance is what horseplayers will be eager to see Saturday when the Grade 3, $200,000 Sam Davis is run Saturday in Oldsmar, Fla., for the 41st time. Pletcher will be sending Known Agenda from his Atlantic Coast winter base as a major threat in the 1 1/16-mile Davis, one of a handful of remaining 17-point (10-4-2-1) qualifying races toward the May 1 Kentucky Derby. The Davis comes four weeks before the March 6 Tampa Bay Derby, a 50-20-10-5 qualifier. Known Agenda, with John Velazquez riding from post 3, has been sent through six timed workouts at Palm Beach Downs since finishing third in the Dec. 5 Remsen at Aqueduct in his most recent start. The Curlin colt was a two-back maiden winner at Aqueduct in November, and unlike virtually every other Derby hopeful at this early stage, he already has two 1 1/8-mile races under his belt. :: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program. “He’s been pointing to this since the Remsen,” Pletcher said. “I like the way he’s maturing, both physically and mentally. I’m excited about getting his 3-year-old campaign under way.” Known Agenda, bred and owned by the St. Elias Stables of Vinny Viola, will be among the favored mix in a wide-open renewal of the Davis, along with Smiley Sobotka and Nova Rags. The Davis, which has a 5:02 p.m. Eastern post time, goes as the 11th of 12 races on a Saturday program that starts at 11:50 a.m. Smiley Sobotka, the lukewarm morning-line favorite with Daniel Centeno aboard, also will be making his first start at 3 after finishing second in the Nov. 28 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. The Ontario-bred colt will be in from Gulfstream Park after also having six official works. “A lot of times you need a race after they’ve been off, but I think I’ve got this colt pretty tight,” said Dale Romans, who trains Smiley Sobotka for the Albaugh Family Stables. “I’d love to see him run the way he’s trained.” Nova Rags wheels back for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott three weeks after a 2 3/4-length jaunt in the seven-furlong Pasco at Tampa. “We’re not about to get ahead of ourselves,” said Michael Shanley, the retired upstate New York attorney who bred and owns Nova Rags, “but this is the most promising horse I’ve ever had, at least in terms of being on the Kentucky Derby trail. Having his last race over the track there at Tampa, with this one next, would seem to make sense.” Mott also has a second Davis starter likely to draw his fair share of tote action in Candy Man Rocket, whose 85 Beyer Speed Figure earned in a Jan. 9 maiden romp going six furlongs at Gulfstream is the highest in the field. Other fringe players include Hidden Stash, a two-time winner going two turns last fall in Kentucky; Boca Boy, making his first start since upsetting the restricted In Reality at Gulfstream in late September; and Lucky Law, going turf-to-dirt for Patrick Biancone, who won the Davis last year with Sole Volante. The balance of the field is Joe Man Joe, Millean, Runway Magic, Ricochet, and Last Investment. Millean, a second Pletcher starter, will be a longshot when exiting two maiden-claiming races. Tiz Tact Toe is an also-eligible who can make the race only in case of an early scratch. In addition to the $200,000 base purse, Boca Boy and Last Investment are eligible for a win-only $50,000 bonus as the only Florida-breds in the field. The Davis is carded as the last of four straight stakes, preceded by the Tampa Bay (race 8), Suncoast (race 9), and Endeavour (race 10). All but the Tampa Bay are part of a cross-country pick five with two races from Aqueduct, including the only other Derby prep of the weekend, the Withers. Unlike most other tracks across the country during the pandemic, Tampa has allowed ontrack spectators since its 2020-21 meet began Nov. 25. For Saturday, seating is limited to 2,500, with $10 (pre-purchase only) being charged for general admission. The local forecast for Saturday calls for a 40 percent chance of rain and a high of 75.