Vino Rosso will attempt to extend Pletcher's success in Tampa Bay Derby

Todd Pletcher will be seeking to continue his domination of the premier race at Tampa Bay Downs when he sends over Vino Rosso from his Atlantic Coast base for the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby, to be run Saturday for the 38th time as part of the annual Festival Day.

Vino Rosso is one of at least eight 3-year-olds expected for the Tampa Derby when entries are taken Wednesday at the Oldsmar, Fla., track for a sensational Festival program. Pletcher has won the Tampa Bay Derby five times, including four of the last five renewals and the last three in a row with Carpe Diem (2015), Destin (2016), and Tapwrit (2017).

The Tampa Bay Derby, with 85 Kentucky Derby qualifying points at stake (including 50 to the winner), is one of five stakes worth a total of nearly $1 million on the Festival card. It’s one of three Kentucky Derby preps set for Saturday, along with the Gotham at Aqueduct and the San Felipe at Santa Anita.

Vino Rosso, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, will be looking to improve on a third-place finish behind Flameaway in the local prep, the Feb. 10 Sam F. Davis Stakes. Flameaway, with Jose Lezcano back to ride, also is among the prospects for the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby.

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As of Monday, these were the eight expected by Tampa racing staff – Flameaway, Vino Rosso, Tiz Mischief, Untamed Domain, World of Trouble, Quip, Grandpa Knows Best, and Arazi Like Move.

Most of the Tampa Bay Derby runners will be shipping over from Miami-area tracks or training centers, including Flameaway from Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach. Final pre-race breezes were turned in over the weekend by most of the field, including Vino Rosso (half-mile in 49.40 seconds), Untamed Domain (five furlongs in 1:02.60), and Tiz Mischief (five furlongs in 1:00.60). Flameaway also worked Saturday, a half-mile in 48.80. Trainer Mark Casse said the colt “went great.”

The purse for the Tampa Bay Derby is listed by the track at $400,000, but that includes $50,000 in bonuses restricted to Florida-breds. Likewise, the purses for two other stakes on Saturday include bonuses – the $200,000 Hillsborough will offer an additional $25,000 and the $150,000 Florida Oaks an additional $50,000.

The Grade 2 Hillsborough, for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf, is coming up extraordinarily deep. Three Grade 1 winners are expected – La Coronel for Casse, Daddys Lil Darling for Kenny McPeek, and Off Limits for Chad Brown. Other probables include Proctor’s Ledge and Lovely Bernadette, both Grade 2 winners, as well as Fourstar Crook, Well Humored, Full of Zip, Truly Together, and Dynatail.

The lineup for the Grade 3 Florida Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on turf, is led by Best Performance, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November for Christophe Clement. Other probables include Almond Roca, already a two-time stakes winner at the 2017-18 Tampa meet, both in one-turn dirt races.

Rounding out the Saturday stakes are the $100,000 Challenger, for older horses at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, and the $75,000 Columbia, for 3-year-olds going a mile on turf.

◗ A modest nine-race Wednesday card kicks off the four-day week at Tampa, with no allowances on tap. First post is 12:23 p.m. Eastern. Tampa then goes dark Thursday, with the first of 10 races Friday going at 12:44.

◗ Antonio Gallardo starts this week in his familiar position atop the jockey standings with 68 wins, while Kathleen O’Connell leads all trainers with 27 wins.