Tampa Bay Downs: Tulira Castle showing ability after injury

OLDSMAR, Fla. – A bone chip dashed any chance Tulira Castle had of competing in last year’s Triple Crown races, but now the 4-year-old is starting to make it look like trainer Jim DiVito knew what he had when he tried the War Pass colt against top company last winter in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Swale stakes.

Tulira Castle blew by the leaders while leaving the second turn of Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile, $58,800 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and scored by 2 3/4 lengths in a decent field to improve to 2 for 2 this year.

In his second start with blinkers and his second race over the Tampa strip, Tulira Castle kicked in like a good horse Saturday when jockey Angel Serpa asked him after five furlongs, and after opening a good lead, the horse went about his business like a pro to maintain a safe margin through the lane.

Remember, a horse named Fort Larned won the Challenger Stakes in 2012 and went on to win that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Ziadie excels with shippers

It’s about a 4 1/2-hour trip by car from Miami to Oldsmar, but trainer Ralph Ziadie appears to be enjoying the trip, considering the success he’s had at Tampa Bay Downs this meeting.

Ziadie, a fixture in south Florida racing, brought first-time starter R Crown Royalty up from his Calder headquarters for Friday’s third race, and the quick-stepping 3-year-old led from start to finish for an impressive 3 1/2-length win in the 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight sprint. The win gave Ziadie four winners from five starters at this meeting.

R Crown Royalty is a half-sister to stakes winner Birdbirdistheword, who earned $783,544. On Friday, R Crown Royalty covered the distance over a very fast racing strip in 1:03.63, less than a second off the 1:02.79 track record. She earned a 69 Beyer Speed Figure.

And R Crown Royalty defeated a few runners who might have futures of their own. Heir to Glory turned in a very solid effort to be clearly second, and she is a half-sister to $473,649 stakes winner Black Diamond Cat. Third-place finisher Sistas Stroll, a first-time starter from the Tom Proctor barn, has the look of a horse who will only get better with more distance.

Mixed results for Bennett

Gerald Bennett, who ranks second in the trainers’ standings behind Jamie Ness, sent out seven horses on the 10-race program Friday and endured the good, the bad, and the ugly of training horses.

After finishing off the board with Lucky Place in the opener, Bennett sent out Leggy Laura ($8) to run down the leaders and win the second for jockey Carol Cedeno. And after Burley’s Gold ran third in the fifth, Bennett posted his second win on the card in the sixth when Author Bob ($4.80) captured that seven-furlong claiming sprint.

With three live-looking runners still to run, Bennett seemed poised for one of his best days of the meet. But in the seventh race, Bennett’s horse Wild About Irene tried to gain in the stretch of the one-mile turf race, but had to settle for second, 1 1/4 lengths behind Bodacious Barb, who won in her first start since November.

Bennett sent out Buck ‘n Roma with blinkers on and dropping in class in the eighth race, but that maiden was shut off into the turn, forcing jockey Ademar Santos to take up sharply, losing all chance. Then in the ninth, Bennett’s favored Crimson Knight bobbled several times while setting the pace in a one-mile turf race before weakening to fourth. The footing was questionable enough that Daniel Centeno, who had been aboard Crimson Knight, took off his mount in the 10th race, which ultimately was moved to the main track.

The pair of wins and another victory Sunday gave Bennett 25 wins for the meeting.