Super Spender at his best at Turf Dash's five furlongs

OLDSMAR, Fla. – As a son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Super Spender is an unlikely candidate to be a top turf sprinter. But the 4-year-old gelding has really found his niche going five furlongs on the grass and looms as a top contender in Saturday’s $100,000 Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Turf Dash drew a full field of a dozen horses ages 3 and up. The contenders include Fast Flying Rumor, who earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest mark in track history, in winning the most recent Turf Dash in January by 4 3/4 lengths over Power Alert, a Grade 3 stakes winner who returns here for the rematch.

Also in the field are the stakes winners Morning Fire, Gallery, and Expected Ruler, along with Summation Time, who lost last year’s Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes by just a head on the Woodbine turf course.

Trained by Jane Cibelli for Goodwood Racing V, Super Spender has earned six of his seven career wins in turf races at five-eighths of a mile. And he typically does it the hard way, rallying from off the pace. In his most recent start Dec. 3, he was in 10th place early, almost seven lengths off the lead, before surging for a neck win in the $107,800 Claiming Crown Canterbury on the Gulfstream Park turf course, his first stakes victory.

Super Spender drew the inside post for Saturday’s race under Nik Juarez, who steered him to two straight victories in south Florida and travels north to retain the mount.

“A Super Saver going five-eighths on the turf is not something that you see every day,” Cibelli said. “He needs that five-eighths because he needs that speed to set up in front of him. He’s very one-dimensional – he’s a five-eighths turf horse. Because he comes from off the pace, I just hope he doesn’t have traffic problems in the full field. That’s always the question because five-eighths turf horses who come from as far off the pace as he does can get into trouble.”

Turf Dash, Race 9

KEY CONTENDERS

Super Spender, by Super Saver
Last 3 Beyers: 91-95-81

◗ Over the past two years, Juarez has won with 23 of his 93 mounts (25 percent) for Cibelli, with a healthy $2.60 return on investment.

Fast Flying Rumor, by West Acre
Last 3 Beyers: 79-77-64

◗ He’s lost seven consecutive races but appeared to be full of run when encountering traffic trouble and finishing sixth in the Claiming Crown Canterbury last out. He’s 2 for 2 over the Tampa turf and is reunited with Ronnie Allen Jr., who rode him to that impressive victory in this race last January.

Power Alert, by Alert
Last 3 Beyers: 96-104-77

◗ A four-time stakes winner in the U.S., he ran a monster race two starts back when losing the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational by a head to Pure Sensation, who subsequently was a close third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The bullet workout Dec. 18 at Palm Meadows adds to his appeal.

Summation Time, by In Summation
Last 3 Beyers: 95-94-88

◗ This Grade 2-placed runner is long overdue for his first stakes victory and appears to be set for a strong effort after two bullet workouts at Payson Park.

Morning Fire, by Friesan Fire
Last 3 Beyers: 75-73-88

◗ This two-time stakes winner is a bit of a wild card as he brings a bullet three-furlong blowout into his turf debut.