Tampa Bay Downs: Action Andy is fresh for Super Stakes

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Action Andy finished third as the favorite in the Grade 3, $100,000 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park last time out. He returns to his favorite surface Saturday when he heads a field of nine crack sprinters in the $75,000 Super Stakes at seven furlongs.

The Super Stakes will be Action Andy’s first start in almost two months. His trainer, Carlos Garcia, said Action Andy gave him some indications after the Mr. Prospector that he needed a little break.

“He came out of the race all right, but he had run five tough races since September,” Garcia said. “He had to really turn in a big effort to take the De Francis and then the shipping down to Miami and back, all that added up and we just thought it would be good to give him a little time to freshen up.

“We backed off for a couple of weeks, and he seemed to enjoy the break because since we’ve brought him back he’s trained very well. And of course he’s back home, he loves the Tampa track.”

Garcia is right. Action Andy has won six of eight Tampa Bay starts, with his most recent being an authoritative score in the Pelican Stakes on Dec. 6. That was the seventh win of 2012 for Action Andy, whose biggest victory of the season came when he rallied to upset the $150,000 De Francis at Laurel by a nose at 10-1.

Lifetime, Action Andy has 11 wins from 31 starts for earnings of more than $570,000.

The Super field includes several others who have licence to be a factor Saturday.

Bellefire was shipped to Laurel from his Florida headquarters by trainer Leo Azpura Jr. to finish second, beaten a length by repeat winner Brigand, in the $100,000 City of Laurel Stakes at seven furlongs. He has won three of his last seven starts while mixing his races between tough allowance and stakes company.

Angelofdistinction, from the red-hot Jorge Navarro barn, goes after his third straight win locally and is another runner who has a distinct fondness for the Tampa main strip. Angelofdistinction has a powerful late kick, and if a speed duel develops in Saturday’s race, his chances improve.

Capt. Candyman Can raced only three times in 2012, but was third in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship and fourth in the Grade 3 Sport Page at Aqueduct. Winner of the 2011 renewal of the Super, Capt Candyman Can makes his first start since April, but has been training on a regular schedule for Ian Wilkes, who has brought several runners back from layoffs to race well at Tampa this season.

An intriguing entrant is Winslow Homer, who makes his first start since April 2011. Considered for a time as a Triple Crown possibility early in 2010, Winslow Homor has moved to the Chad Brown barn and has been training forwardly for his return.