Tampa stakes draw large fields
A pair of turf-sprint stakes sandwiching a highly competitive allowance should make for a terrific ending to a 10-race Saturday card at Tampa Bay Downs.
The co-features of a program that starts at 12:13 p.m. Eastern are the Lightning City and the Turf Dash, which go as races 8 and 10, respectively. Between those five-furlong turf sprints is a $30,000 allowance (race 9) that drew 11 older horses going seven furlongs on the main track.
The purses for both stakes are $75,000, with another $25,000 available in Florida-bred bonuses for any of the top six finishers.
Both the Lightning City and Turf Dash are being run for the 19th time. They’re the last races on the 2021-22 Tampa stakes schedule until March 12, when the Tampa Bay Derby will anchor the biggest day of the five-month-plus meet.
Perfect racing conditions are in store for Saturday, with the Oldsmar, Fla., forecast calling for mostly sunny skies and a high of 70.
Lightning City
Mamba Wamba and Payntdembluesaway will break alongside one another from posts 9 and 10, respectively, as two of the lukewarm favorites in an oversubscribed field of fillies and mares.
Mamba Wamba, a 4-year-old Irish-bred filly, launched a torrid late run to win her North American debut in December at Gulfstream Park for trainer Brian Lynch, who last Saturday was on hand from his Palm Meadows winter base to win the Sam F. Davis with Classic Causeway. A similar effort from Mamba Wamba with jockey Julien Leparoux back aboard would put her squarely in the mix with her more experienced opponents, a group headed by Payntdembluesaway, who will have Pablo Morales up when looking to rebound off a last-out defeat behind the red-hot Elle Z in an ungraded New Year’s Day stakes at Fair Grounds.
Payntdembluesaway has amassed an 8-for-14 record while climbing the class ladder for Jane Cibelli, including a rousing victory in December in the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash. This is the fourth start for the 6-year-old mare since she got time off following a fourth-place finish last February as the Lightning City favorite.
Other considerations in a well-matched group include Beachside Bunny (post 3, Jesus Castanon), a last-out allowance winner; Beantown Baby (post 7, Daniel Centeno), a Florida-bred who has been working smartly toward her 6-year-old debut for Arnaud Delacour; and Beautiful Grace (post 11, Samy Camacho), an improving 4-year-old for Gerald Bennett, who once again tops the local trainer standings.
In all, 14 are entered, with only as many as 12 allowed to start. Ambassador Luna and Gregs Posse are the also-eligibles.
Turf Sprint
Diamond Oops is among the 11 older males entered in this spot, but whether he will scratch from the Gulfstream Park Sprint to ship over from his Atlantic Coast base had not been revealed by trainer Patrick Biancone as of early Thursday.
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If he does run at Tampa, then clearly Diamond Oops (post 4, Romero Maragh) will reign as the class of the field. A Grade 2 winner on both turf and dirt, he has earned more than $1.3 million in a carefully managed career of 23 races. Even off a layoff of more than four months, he would rule a clear-cut favorite following a series of workouts in recent weeks at the Palm Meadows training center.
But if Diamond Oops runs instead at Gulfstream, this race becomes more wide open.
Bad Beat Brian (post 9, Centeno) has earned Beyer Speed Figures of 90-96-91 in his last three starts, all in high-end company, and most likely would inherit the favorite’s role if Diamond Oops stays home. Claimed last summer for $40,000 by Mike Maker, the 5-year-old gelding tends to be most effective when a hot pace unfolds ahead of his reliable kick.
Chess Master (post 2, Castanon) was a two-back winner of a Dec. 1 allowance on a turf course over which he has compiled a 4-for-7 mark. In all, this handy Florida-bred is 10 for 26 with a high Beyer of 92.
Discreet Tune (post 6, Fernando De La Cruz) ships over from Palm Meadows for Carlos David when moving back to the turf following a disappointing last out over Tapeta.