The speedy and well-traveled Uncashed makes a return visit to Tampa Bay Downs on Wednesday, where the 6-year-old gelding seeks his 13th career victory in a multi-conditioned allowance/optional $100,000 claimer over six furlongs that serves as the feature on a nine-race card. Uncashed went 7 for 15 in 2025, a year that began with a victory in a similar condition as this at Tampa. He went on to win races at four other tracks during the year, capped by a starter-allowance victory in December at Oaklawn Park. Overall, Uncashed has recorded wins at eight different North American tracks. Prior to his victory at Oaklawn, Uncashed finished third in a spot similar to this here in November. Racing on the inside, Uncashed dueled through rapid fractions with longshot Rome’s Conquest and put that one away while opening up in the stretch before being caught by a pair of Gerald Bennett-trained sprinters, El Principito and Life is Precious. “I was kind of surprised he got beat, really had no excuse,” trainer Larry Rivelli said. Rivelli noted that he had entered Uncashed in a starter allowance that didn’t fill. :: Celebrating 100 Years of racing at Tampa Bay Downs! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Uncashed does his best work on the front end and might have to outfoot Beeline to secure the early lead. Beeline got involved in a speed duel in a third-level allowance at Churchill Downs in which he finished ninth. That race was at seven furlongs, which may be a touch a farther than he wants to run. “I don’t think he wants to go too much farther than 6 1/2” furlongs, trainer Riley Mott said. “It was a pretty loaded field.” Tap Into This, third in that race, came back to win a stakes at Oaklawn Park in his next start. Mott acknowledged Beeline prefers the lead, but added “if someone is going to go 21 flat, I don’t see a reason to try to go faster than that,” he said. “He’s tractable in his breezes.” Bennett has two in this field that are returning from layoffs. Naughty Rascal hasn’t run since he finished sixth in the Tampa Bay Derby last March. He has run well sprinting, including a stakes victory at Gulfstream in 2024, and he was elevated to first in the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes in 2025 when Owen Almighty was disqualified from first for interfering with another horse. Rouki, who has not been out since August, won the Turf Dash for Bennett here last February. He has twice won on dirt at Tampa. Abeliefinthislivin, winner of a second-level allowance/optional $32,000 claiming race on Dec. 12, and Dreaming of Kona, runner-up to the Bennett-trained Chrome Ghost in a similar spot as this on Dec. 26, round out the field. Vernon Bush retires Jockey Vernon Bush wanted to go out a winner and a winner he went out. Bush, 64, announced his retirement from riding on Jan. 15, one day after he guided 18-1 shot Protest to victory at Tampa Bay Downs. It was his 3,288th win in a career that began in 1978 at River Downs in Ohio. Bush fractured his back in three places and broke a rib last August when his mount flipped over in the post parade at Belterra Park. He told friends he wanted one more winner before he retired. “It’s that time for me. I have to step away,” Bush told Tampa Bay publicity last week. “I know I can still ride a race and not interfere with a horse, but I’d rather go out on top than ride a lot of races not knowing if I would win again. I can say that I enjoyed every moment of my career and I’m happy the way it ended.” Bush enjoyed most of his success in New England. He won six riding titles at Suffolk Downs in Boston and four at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire. He rode six winners on a card at both Suffolk and Northampton Fair in Massachusetts. Further Ado possible for Tampa Bay Derby Further Ado, winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs, could make his 3-year-old debut in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 7, his connections indicated. After losing his first two starts sprinting at 2, Further Ado stretched out to 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 10 at Keeneland and won a maiden race by 20 lengths in a field of 12. He validated that win seven weeks later, winning the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. Further Ado is galloping at Payson and likely to begin breezing in the coming weeks, trainer Brad Cox said. The timing of the Tampa Bay Derby makes sense for Further Ado. That could be a stepping-stone to the Blue Grass on April 4. Further Ado, a son of Gun Runner, is owned by Spendthrift Farm, which also owns Ted Noffey, the likely 2-year-old champion, who is targeting the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby, both at Gulfstream Park, for his path to the Kentucky Derby. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.