Tampa Bay Downs: El Uno returns to favorite course for Saturday starter allowance

OLDSMAR, Fla. – El Uno, seventh in the $125,000 Claiming Crown Emerald at Gulfstream Park, and Whoodoo Meadow, a fast-closing fourth last time out, top their respective fields as Tampa Bay Downs begins its starter handicap turf series with a pair of one-mile tests on Saturday.

El Uno breaks from the rail in the ninth race, which is for 3-year-olds and up. He raced 11th in a 14-horse field in the 1 1/16-mile Emerald until the stretch, then made up ground but ran out of stretch and was beaten less than five lengths by winner Major Marvel.

In his previous race, El Uno overcame being checked repeatedly to upset a Gulfstream optional-claiming route at odds of 16-1. That was the second race for El Uno since being claimed for $16,000 by trainer Marcial Navarro, who is winning at 24 percent clip this season. El Uno returns to his favorite course on Saturday as five of his six wins have come over the Tampa Bay turf course.

Native Wave, winner of two of his last three starts, all on turf, shapes up as one of El Uno’s top challengers. Native Wave came from just off the pace to post a head win in an optional claimer at a mile on the Meadowlands turf in early November, and ran third in a similar race there in October. He was claimed for $16,000 from each of those races and now is trained by Dennis Kendall Jr.

Bakyt rallied late in back-to-back wins at Laurel against starter $8,000 competition and has two wins from seven starts over the Tampa turf course.

The ninth-race field also includes Houngun, who was fourth, beaten less than a length, in El Uno’s win at Gulstream, and Treasured Kitten, a three-time winner over the synthetic surface at Presque Isle this season.

In the filly-and-mare division of the starter allowance, slated to run as the seventh race, Whoodoo Meadow makes her first start after being claimed for $16,000 from Jonathan Sheppard and owner Augustin Stable. She is now trained by Rory Barron.

Last time out, the 4-year-old Whoodoo Meadow was buried in traffic until the final furlong. When she finally got outside she came flying late and wound up fourth, beaten less than two lengths by Slander.

Slander is also in the field Saturday. Trained by Forrest Kaelin, she goes for her fifth win over the Tampa turf.

Also deserving of consideration is Precious Paula, who was pinned to the inside fence at a crucial point in the stretch of her last race, which was her first start since September. She finished third but was elevated to second through disqualification.