Tampa: Above the Wind captures Super Stakes

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Above the Wind kept his unbeaten streak at this meeting intact when he sprinted clear, set blistering fractions, and simply ran the competition into submission in a mild upset in the $50,000 Super Stakes.

Under Federico Mata, Above the Wind went right to the front at the start, cut out fractions of 22.50 and 44.88 seconds, and drew off in a six-furlong clocking of 1:10.03 over a track that was "fast" but far from lightning-fast. He then had enough left to maintain a safe margin, hitting the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front while completing the seven furlongs in 1:23.78.

Although Above the Wind had won the Pelican Stakes and an allowance prep for Saturday's race, the public sent the Ronnie Allen trainee off as the fourth choice, and he returned $16.80.

Scrubs chased the winner throughout and was slowly getting to him late under Winston Thompson at 54-1, while the late-closing Attack the Books completed the trifecta, 3 1/2 lengths farther back. Attack the Books went off at 36-1, and helping the $2 trifecta to return $20,330.80.

Burning Roma, sent off at 6-5 for his 2004 debut, chased the pace to the stretch, then weakened, finishing sixth in the field of 14.

A crowd of 4,720 wagered $446,485 ontrack; the all-sources handle was $3,477,403.