Tap Daddy makes it look easy in winning James W. Murphy Stakes

BALTIMORE – Tap Daddy looked like a deserving favorite Saturday in the ninth running of the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes – but only if the race stayed on a yielding Pimlico turf course.

But even after soggy weather conditions forced the Murphy to the main track, Tap Daddy was dominant, leading throughout when defeating five other 3-year-olds.

“As I stand here in the winner’s circle, was I wanting it to stay on turf?” asked a smiling Steve Asmussen, who trains the homebred Tap Daddy for Winchell Thoroughbreds. “No.”

Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., Tap Daddy returned $5.80 as a lukewarm favorite after finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.67 over a sloppy track. Threes Over Deuces was second, 6 1/2 lengths behind the winner and another 1 1/4 lengths before Takedown.

The Murphy, the first of eight stakes on the Preakness card, marked the first victory for Tap Daddy, a dark bay Scat Daddy colt, in four tries over dirt, whereas his two prior wins had come over yielding turf courses.

“If it had stayed on the turf, I was anxious to see how he’d handle the soft going,” said Asmussen. “Still, all I could hope for was a win, and that’s what we got. We’ve got high hopes for him.”

The $2 exacta (3-7) paid $18.80, the $1 trifecta (3-7-1) returned $28.60, and the 10-cent superfecta (3-7-1-8) was worth $10.29.

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