See I A must catch Wildcat Frankie in Pelican Stakes

OLDSMAR, Fla. – See I A is one of many recent success stories for Midwest Thoroughbreds, the nation’s’ winningest owners last season. See I A will seek his fifth straight win on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs when he makes his stakes debut in the $60,000 Pelican Stakes at six furlongs.

Huber Villa-Gomez will handle See I A at 116 pounds under the allowance conditions of the Pelican Stakes

See I A, who was claimed for $10,000 here last March, comes into the Pelican off a winning effort in his first local outing of the season. His trainer, Jamie Ness, thinks his charge is just now coming into his own.

“He didn’t do that well at Penn and really didn’t like the synthetic track at Presque Isle, although he did finish second in both of his starts there,” Ness said. “But we had a little break after that meet and when he came back at Hawthorne he seemed to have it all together.

“Last time out he was down on the inside, and that’s really not his favorite place to be, but he went on through along the inside and got the job done and that’s the sign of a good horse.”

See I A may not go postward the favorite. The speedy Wildcat Frankie, from the barn of David Fawkes, looks like the horse to catch in the Pelican at 118 under leading rider Daniel Centeno. The Wildcat Heir gelding won 2 of 8 last season as a 3-year-old and led into the late stages of the Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream before finishing second. More recently, he held the lead into the final furlong of the Grade 3 Fall Highweight at Aqueduct before finishing third as the favorite.

Fawkes also entered Stormin Bud, a three-time winner last season against high-priced claiming and allowance sprinters.

Guam Typhoon, a fast-closing second to Musket Man here in last season’s Super Stakes, will be making only his second start since that race and rates a top threat for trainer Ian Wilkes.

Another intriguing entrant is Tommy’s Memory, a homebred star trained by Anthony Ryan. Tommy’s Memory won the Sprint division for Florida-breds here on Florida Cup day last season.