By Thlight of Day an interesting first-time starter

On Friday, Tampa is set to conduct an eight-race card comprised entirely of claiming races. The day’s highest purse of $12,500 comes in the fourth race, which also is the day’s only race on turf, a maiden-claiming event for fillies and mares. The entrants run for a claiming tag of $25,000, or $20,000 with a weight allowance. The race has drawn a full field, with 10 in the main body, three also-eligibles, and one main-track-only entrant.

An intriguing entrant is the first-time starter By Thlight of Day, who was scratched out of a slightly higher-level race on Wednesday at Tampa, a maiden claimer with tags of $32,000 or $30,000 which came off the turf. Trained by James Gulick for breeder and owner Team Block, By Thlight of Day is from the first crop of graded stakes winner Suntracer, who is by leading turf sire Kitten’s Joy. By Thlight of Day’s dam was a winner on turf and has produced a pair of turf winners.

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Etelka, trained by Joan Scott, finished sixth in her lone start, a maiden special weight going a mile on the Tampa turf last December. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 59, the top last-out number in this field. She is out of the well-bred St Pancras, who is by Scat Daddy and out of Grade 1 winner Marylebone – who scored her only win on the turf and has produced two turf winners.

Heavenly Joy, by Kitten’s Joy, also has made all four of her prior starts in maiden special weight company. Tampa’s leading rider, Antonio Gallardo, is up for trainer Barbara Minshall.

The day begins with a $5,000 claiming race for fillies and mares and includes Sunset Empire, who is winless in four outings this year, but is dropping in class. She has made all her starts this year in allowance/optional-claiming races, sprinting at Tampa on both the turf and the main track. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 64 in a fourth-place effort two starts back, the top number in the field for the 2020 season. Sunset Empire has won 3 of 8 starts on Tampa’s main track and is a winner at this mile and 40-yard distance. She gets the services of Samy Camacho, Tampa’s leading rider by earnings.

The day’s sixth race is a $16,000 maiden-claiming sprint for 3-year-olds. The field includes five debut starters, including Uknowthedrill, who last Saturday had a bullet work at Tampa.