Suerte faces more speed in first try against winners

Perhaps earlier in the Tampa Bay Downs meet, a first-level allowance route for 3-year-olds might have drawn a sleeper or two for the Kentucky Derby or Oaks.

But now that we’re deep into March, it’s a little late to be using Tampa as a springboard to a Derby or Oaks qualifier. Fans playing an eight-race Wednesday card won’t have an intangible factor such as trainer intent to work into their handicapping calculations.

Instead, the co-featured allowances for 3-year-olds will have to stand on their own merits. Race 4 is a $30,500 main-track route that drew six colts and geldings, while race 7 is a $29,000 turf mile with nine fillies.

Suerte, a Godolphin homebred who won the first race on the Feb. 11 Sam F. Davis card, looks like a prime candidate to land a repeat in race 4 at a mile and 40 yards. The gray Frosted gelding led wire to wire in that latest breakthrough when earning a 66 Beyer Speed Figure, but there’s more speed signed on here than in that last race, so it will be interesting to see how veteran jockey Jesus Castanon plays this one after breaking from post 4.

Mr Jack (post 6, Jose Batista) is one of those who could pose an early challenge after leading every step of a March 3 maiden claimer to earn a 65 Beyer, while Estilo Magico (post 1, Samuel Marin) and Reinvest (post 3, no rider) both exit maiden wins at six furlongs.

Reinvest has Pablo Morales named, but the 34-year-old Peru native may have to miss the remainder of the 2022-23 meet after suffering a compound fracture of his right pinky finger in a starting-gate accident before the first race Sunday when his scheduled mount, Nicolino, reared in her stall and struck Morales’s hand on her way down. Morales trails only Samy Camacho by a 91-53 margin atop the local rider standings.

In the filly allowance, Boudica (post 8, Antonio Gallardo) is an 8-5 morning-line favorite when returning from a five-month-plus layoff for Josie Carroll after earning a field-high 79 Beyer in an October maiden triumph over the Woodbine turf. Aspray (post 1, Hector Diaz Jr.) figures as her top challenger after winning her only prior start, a Jan. 14 off-the-turf maiden route at Tampa for Chad Brown.

Purses listed here do not include additional bonuses for Florida-breds.

First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern. Sunshine and a high of 82 are in the forecast for Oldsmar, Fla.

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