Tampa Bay Downs: Our Double Play looks to fire fresh in Super Stakes

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Our Double Play, who was a pace factor against Grade 1 competition in his final two starts of 2013, makes his 2014 debut Saturday in the $100,000 Super Stakes and is the likely favorite among a talented group of nine older sprinters for the seven-furlong headliner.

Moved to Philip Bauer’s barn midway through 2013 after finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows, Our Double Play was unplaced over a sloppy Charles Town strip in the $400,000 Researcher Stakes, then came back to defeat optional-claiming sprinters over a wet strip at Churchill Downs.

Our Double Play set the pace in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap over nine furlongs before fading to seventh behind Will Take Charge and Game On Dude, then was shipped to Santa Anita, where he chased the leaders from his far-outside post in the Grade 1 Malibu before fading to sixth in that seven-furlong tilt.

Our Double Play has been training smartly over the Tampa Bay Downs main track in preparation for this return, with bullet five-furlong workouts Feb. 3, 10, and 17. But despite stepping down in class from Grade 1 company, he faces a solid group of challengers in the Super Stakes.

Topping that group is Palace Barista, who came into the meeting unraced but has developed into a formidable sprinter for trainer Lynne Scace. After leaving the maiden ranks at odds of 61-1 on Dec. 4, Palace Barista ran a peculiar race in his second start, racing up close early, then dropping well back on the turn before roaring up late on the outside to be beaten just 1 1/2 lengths in an optional-claiming sprint at seven furlongs.

Last time out Jan. 25, Palace Barista raced close to the pace in the six-furlong Pelican Stakes, then rallied on the outside to become a stakes winner in just his third start.

Action Andy, one of the top local sprinters and second to the returning Good Lord in last year’s edition of the Super Stakes, makes his second start of the season and can be expected to improve off his sixth-place finish in the Pelican, in which he bore out badly into the turn. Action Andy has won five of nine starts over the Tampa strip.

Good Lord also is expected to improve off his seventh-place finish in the Pelican.

Bear Tough Tiger, an 11-time winner who was fourth in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint at Gulfstream Park last month in his first start for trainer Dale Romans, deserves a long look Saturday, as does One Buck Roma, who ran third in the Pelican.

Sneaking Uponyou will have blinkers removed after finishing last in the Pelican, snapping a two-race win streak, while Lack of Judgement was a close fifth in the Pelican and won at the Super Stakes distance two races back.