Vicarage would be a nice start to the early pick four

Last Saturday, the early pick four at Tampa Bay Downs began with a Christophe Clement first-time starter, Hot Mist, winning at odds of 7-10. This Saturday, a Clement-trained maiden might launch the early pick four, which begins with race 2, at a considerably longer price.

Vicarage is the 7-2 third choice on the track’s morning line and has only five rivals in a two-turn maiden special weight race on dirt. Race 2 is the only non-claiming contest on a nine-race card that begins at 12.35 p.m. Eastern.

Last week, Hot Mist was one of two odds-on favorites to win during the early pick four sequence, but the bet still returned just short of $800 after 23-1 shot Mike Is Ready won the final leg. Race 5 this Saturday is a $16,000 maiden-claiming turf route that has the potential to throw up a chaotic result There are far fewer moving parts in the first race in the sequence.

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Favored at 3-2 on the line is Burning Bright, whose claim to fame after two starts remains his mother, Forever Together, who won the Grade 1 Diana twice, the Grade 1 First Lady, and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf during a wonderful career. Less wonderful has been her record as a broodmare, with her five foals to race having won only six races – none of them stakes – from 32 starts.

Burning Bright, a 3-year-old Empire Maker gelding trained by Jonathan Thomas, was bred and is owned by George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stables. His career debut came March 24 in a Tampa turf route, and Burning Bright flamed out, finishing 10th, beaten nearly 25 lengths. He was switched to dirt for his second start and performed far, far better in a dirt route, leading and holding second, albeit while facing only five foes.

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But why can’t Vicarage do something similar Saturday? He was a 7-5 favorite debuting in a Tampa turf route on March 25 but never got involved, finishing ninth, beaten about 10 lengths. Vicarage is by Medaglia d’Oro and out of the Malibu Moon mare Winding Way, whose major win, in the Grade 2 Rancho Bernardo, came on dirt.

Winding Way’s sister, Kauai Katie, won multiple graded stakes sprinting on dirt, and if Vicarage’s pedigree leans any direction, it’s toward dirt. Clement has 13 wins at the ongoing Tampa meet, and 11 of them have come in maiden races. Over the last five years, Clement has had one winner from 14 horses going turf to dirt, racing at the maiden special weight level, and making its second start, but that win did come at Tampa.

The other key contender is Fit for a King, yet another horse going turf to dirt, whose dam, Tizaqueena, was a graded stakes winner.