Shantisara gets perfect trip to deliver as favorite in Hillsborough Stakes
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Favorites were perfect in the first three stakes on the Festival Day undercard Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, capped by a professional score from Shantisara in the Grade 2, $200,00 Hillsborough Stakes.
Under a perfect ride from Irad Ortiz Jr., Shantisara kept front-running Scotish Star within arm’s length as Ortiz coaxed his mount into a relaxed gait as the 1 1/8-mile Hillsborough unfolded. As the tempo quickened leaving the half-mile pole, Shantisara kept edging closer, finally edging away in the final 100 yards to win by a handy 1 1/4 lengths over Scotish Star.
Surprisingly closed steadily to be third, just a neck behind Scotish Star, and was followed in order by Temple City Terror, Rougir, Gam’s Mission, and Kalifornia Queen.
This was the first win for Shantisara, a 5-year-old Irish-bred mare, since she captured the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October 2021. Trained by Chad Brown for the partnership of Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert Lapenta, she finished in 1:47.14 over a firm course before returning $4 to win.
Brown, the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer based at Payson Park in the winter months, now has won six of the last 12 runnings of the Hillsborough, which has evolved into a key early season race among older turf females and was the only Grade 2 of the entire day.
Skippylongstocking wins Challenger
Skippylongstocking ($3) returned to top form when drawing off with flair under Ortiz in the final furlong of the Grade 3, $100,000 Challenger Stakes.
After disposing of Trademark at the quarter pole, Ortiz sat chilly on Skippylongstocking while longshot Surly Furious actually nudged ahead by cutting the corner. But once Ortiz sat him down, Skippylongstocking sped off to win by 3 1/4 lengths, finishing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:42.52 over a fast track.
Tax rallied for second, with Surly Furious settling for third and Trademark fading to fifth.
Skippylongstocking, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred by Exaggerator, now has won three graded stakes from his last five starts and 5 of 16 overall. He was coming off a seventh-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 after winning the prep for that Grade 1 race, the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday, both at Gulfstream Park. Saffie Joseph Jr. trains the bay colt for Daniel Alonso.
Joseph, who was on hand from his Atlantic Coast base, said the Oaklawn Handicap on April 22 will come under consideration as a next start, “or maybe we’ll wait for the Alysheba [on May 5 at Churchill Downs]. There are a lot of options with a horse like this.”
Classic Causeway, who swept the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby last year, was among two early scratches, leaving a field of seven older horses.
Talk of the Nation airs in Columbia
Talk of the Nation ($4.40) surged to his third win in four career starts when overtaking Mo Stash with a powerful rush inside the eighth pole in the $75,000 Columbia, a one-mile turf race contested by nine 3-year-olds.
Ridden by Samy Camacho, by far the leading jockey at the 2022-23 Tampa meet, Talk of the Nation assumed an ideal stalking spot before proceeding to win his stakes debut by 2 1/2 lengths, finishing in a swift 1:33.45, not far off the course record of 1:33.20.
Shug McGaughey trains Talk of the Nation for Joe Allen and the China Horse Club. The Quality Road colt won an Aqueduct dirt sprint on debut and was well-beaten in a Gulfstream Park allowance before easily winning a Feb. 4 turf allowance at Tampa leading into the Columbia.
* Earlier on the card, Tap Dance Fever ($9.40) won her second $50,000 race of the meet when rallying up the rail for a 4 1/4-length score in the Manatee, a seven-furlong overnight handicap run in 1:23.03. Jose Ferrer was aboard for perennial leading trainer Gerald Bennett.
Tap Dance Fever, a 5-year-old Tapiture mare, won the Wayward Lass here eight weeks ago over Pass the Champagne, who was an early scratch from the Manatee.
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