Top trainers duke it out in allowance

Trainers Tom Proctor and Miguel Clement, both hitting at 40 percent-plus this winter at Tampa Bay Downs, have two of the protagonists in Wednesday’s first-level allowance, which is scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on turf on a nine-race card that kicks off Tampa Bay Derby week at the Oldsmar, Fla., oval.

At 10 for 24, Proctor is hitting. 417 at the meet and, additionally, has six seconds and two thirds. In this spot, he sends out Chicago Theatre, a 4-year-old gelding by Medaglia d’Oro who has a win, a second, and a third in three starts at the meet, all in one-mile races.

Chicago Theatre’s win came when he sat third behind a pretty hot early pace before making a run. In his last two, the pace has not been fast and Chicago Theatre has been up front. On Jan. 25, his most recent outing, he dictated terms but got polished off late by Noble Factor, sent out by Juan Arriagada, the second-leading trainer at the meet.

Proctor said he’s running in this spot because there wasn’t a race going a mile in the book.

“Going slow, it’ll be fine,” Proctor said. “A lot of times, those horses will carry their speed.”

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Asked about his success this winter at Tampa, Proctor said, “When you’re [1 for 41] going in [to the meet], you’re due to win some races.”

Clement, who is 10 for 25 with six seconds and two thirds at Tampa this winter, sends out the New York-bred Willpowered, who is making just his third lifetime start. After finishing fifth in his debut at Saratoga, a race scheduled for the turf but rained off to the dirt, Willpowered needed time off due to a splint bone injury.

Willpowered returned Jan. 2 in a 1 1/16-mile maiden turf race and came with a late rail rally to run down his pacesetting stablemate Duty to win by a neck.

“Still green, plenty of improvement to come,” Clement said. “I do believe he wants to go farther. A mile and an eighth is appealing. I do think he’ll stay the trip. He’s a big, tall, leggy specimen.”

Chad Brown, who at 9 for 26 is hitting at 35 percent at the meet, brings Board of Directors back off a near two-year layoff. Board of Directors has raced once, that being a victory in a one-mile maiden race at Tampa in April 2024.

Thundering and Tux, third and fourth in the same race in which Chicago Theatre was second last out, both add depth to this field.

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