Tiger Blood enters Sunday allowance off smashing debut win
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Tiger Blood offered no signals that he was sitting on a monster effort at 14-1 odds in his career debut here Jan. 30, but he won’t take bettors by surprise when he makes his second start in the featured seventh race at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday.
Tiger Blood is sure to be a short-priced favorite over six rival 3-year-olds in the seven-furlong sprint, a first-level allowance that offers a $23,000 purse and has an optional $75,000 claiming condition.
Tiger Blood, a Cowtown Cat colt trained by Baltazar Galvan for Miguel Barraza, made a smashing debut here, winning a $22,100 maiden special weight race by 9 1/4 lengths on the front end. He scored a 91 Beyer Speed Figure that easily eclipses the numbers earned by his rivals in Sunday’s race. But bettors had little to go on prior to that race since the horse has not had a published workout since September.
Tiger Blood drew the outside post and will have Pablo Morales aboard again.
The chief threat appears to be Lookin for a Kiss, a Lookin At Lucky colt trained by Dale Romans for Michael J. Bruder. Lookin for a Kiss scored a 77 Beyer in his only start, winning a $40,000 maiden special weight sprint by 1 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6. The horse had Tyler Gaffalione aboard that day but will be ridden by leading local jockey Antonio Gallardo on Sunday.
Lookin for a Kiss turned in a bullet workout at Gulfstream Park last Sunday, breezing five furlongs in 1:00 flat.
The field also includes Justice for Themob, a Lantana Mob gelding trained by Gary R. Patrick for Cindy Patrick. Justice for Themob beat fellow Indiana-breds in the $88,400 Hillsdale Stakes at Indiana Grand with a 64 Beyer last September and will be making his 3-year-old debut.