Well Defined possible for Tampa Bay Derby

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Well Defined emerged from his breakthrough victory Saturday in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in good shape and could run back in four weeks in the Tampa Bay Derby, trainer Kathleen O’Connell said Sunday.

O’Connell did not fully commit Well Defined to the March 9 Tampa Bay Derby, saying the gelding “will let us know.” But the annual Tampa Bay Downs showcase clearly is a logical spot, given the way Well Defined dominated the 1 1/16-mile Davis from the start to earn a career-high 93 Beyer Speed Figure and 10 qualifying points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

For O’Connell, it was a welcome return to form. After crushing Florida-breds last September, Well Defined ran poorly in his next two starts, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs and the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park. Without any encumbrances Saturday, and wearing blinkers for the first time in seven career starts, Well Defined gunned to the lead from his outer post and never looked back, giving jockey Pablo Morales his second graded-stakes victory. Morales was just 17 when he won the Grade 3 Super Derby in 2005.

“The horse is naturally fast and has a super-long stride, so I was going to come out running,” Morales said.

“All I wanted to do was ride a cool and collected race and keep my horse running. I didn’t feel like I was going that fast at all, and my horse was going as comfortable as he possibly could. I knew he was doing it relaxed and very much on his own. I had a lot of horse going into the second turn, so I figured I was going to ask him a little more and not wait for them to get me. If they were going to catch me, they were really going to have to come running.”

Well Defined, bred and owned by the Stonehedge LLC of Gilbert Campbell, will resume training later this week at Gulfstream Park West. O’Connell, second all-time in wins (2,047) among female trainers in North America (behind Kim Hammond, 2,231), splits her time during the winters between Tampa and Gulf West.

Well Defined cruised home by 2 3/4 lengths over Kentucky Wildcat, a Godolphin homebred who was vanned off after jockey Joe Bravo, suspecting something amiss, dismounted on the gallop-out. Trainer Tom Albertrani said Sunday morning that veterinarians have diagnosed a condylar fracture of the right foreleg that will be surgically repaired Monday in Ocala. The injury is not life threatening.

“Hopefully all will be OK,” Albertrani said.

The third-place finisher, So Alive, dropped so far behind on the backstretch that victory became nearly impossible. Still, the Super Saver colt closed strongly down the stretch when passing all but the top two finishers. Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday morning that So Alive exited the race in good order but that no decision has been made on a next start.

Knicks Go, the 9-5 favorite in his 3-year-old debut, faded to fifth after giving closest chase to Well Defined for most of the way. Trainer Ben Colebrook said he is inclined to run the gray colt back in the Tampa Bay Derby.

“It didn’t go the way we wanted, but hopefully there’ll be another day,” Colebrook said.

The Davis was the last of four straight stakes on a 12-race card run amid dry and pleasant low-70s weather. The other stakes and their winners (with Beyers) were the Grade 3 Tampa Bay, Inspector Lynley (100); the Grade 3 Endeavour, Hawksmoor (95); and the Suncoast, Point of Honor (82).

Tampa reported all-sources wagering on the day to be $9,521,537, up less than 1 percent over the corresponding 2018 date. The record for a Davis card is $10.7 million, set in 2016. The all-time track-record handle of $12,250,446 was set last year on Tampa Bay Derby Day.

Five stakes will be run on the March 9 Festival Day card, led by the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby, which offers 50 Kentucky Derby points to the winner.