Well Defined wires field in Sam F. Davis

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Kathleen O’Connell not only has been bummed by the way Well Defined had run lately, but she has mourned the deaths of both her nonagenarian parents within a recent three-month span. So after Well Defined blitzed eight other 3-year-olds Saturday in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, it was all O’Connell could do to fight back tears.

“This is so very special,” O’Connell said after Well Defined, ridden by Pablo Morales, led wire to wire in the 39th running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis, highlight of the annual Festival Preview Day at Tampa Bay Downs. “He’s had little things that have gone wrong, but he’s really growing up mentally and physically. Today he really brought his game.”

Well Defined paid $16 as fourth choice when earning 10 qualifying points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby. He finished the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:42.70 over a fast track.

O’Connell, who trains Well Defined for her longtime client, owner-breeder Gilbert Campbell of Stonehedge LLC, said they will seriously consider the annual Tampa showcase, the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby (50 Kentucky Derby points to the winner), on March 9 as the next start for the With Distinction gelding. As a Florida-bred, Well Defined earned a $50,000 bonus that otherwise would have gone uncollected.

Four Derby points were earned by the Davis runner-up, Kentucky Wildcat, but they will go unused after the Godolphin homebred was vanned off after finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind Well Defined. The attending veterinarian, Dr. Robert Calley, said afterward that radiographs would determine the extent of “instability” in the colt’s right knee, but he was hopeful the situation was not life-threatening.

So Alive, far back early as the 5-2 second choice, ran on belatedly to finish another 8 3/4 lengths behind Kentucky Wildcat, while Counter Offer was up in the last jump to get fourth from the 19-10 favorite, Knicks Go, who gave futile chase to Well Defined before tiring to finish fifth.

Javier Castellano, who rode So Alive, said he was encouraged by the colt’s late kick. “He is kind of lazy and I had to encourage him to get moving,” he said. “But he really hit his stride late. Maybe he is a mile-and-quarter horse, a mile-and-a-half.”

The $2 exacta (9-6) paid $76, the $1 trifecta (9-6-8) returned $142.10, and the 10-cent superfecta (9-6-8-1) was worth $84.84.

Point of Honor wins Suncoast

A long-striding Curlin filly named Point of Honor, ridden by Castellano, threw her hat into the Kentucky Oaks ring with a dominating performance in the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes, winning by 2 3/4 lengths in just her second career start.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Stetson Racing, Point of Honor rallied from last to win as she pleased, finishing the mile-and-40-yard distance in 1:39.78 and returning $7 to win as favorite. Lady Kate was second, another 2 3/4 lengths before Sweet Diane in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies.

Although the Suncoast is ungraded, Point of Honor earned 10 qualifying points toward the May 3 Kentucky Oaks. The filly’s lone prior start, an off-the-turf December maiden race going two turns at Gulfstream Park, resulted in a six-length romp. She is based at the Palm Beach Downs training center with George Weaver, who said he is inclined to “look for one more race before the Oaks. We’ll nominate to all the appropriate spots.”

Hawksmoor rallies in Endeavour
It wasn’t quite like trainer Arnaud Delacour drew it up on the chalkboard, but Hawksmoor came through nonetheless in winning the Grade 3, $150,000 Endeavour for filly-mare turf runners. Instead of making or forcing the pace as she normally does, the Irish-bred mare rallied from well back to prevail by a half-length ahead of a belated run from Viva Vegas. She paid $4.80 as favorite in a field of 10 after finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.83 over a firm course.

“You know horse races,” said Castellano, who was aboard Hawksmoor for Delacour and owner-breeders Roy and Gretchen Jackson of the Lael Stables. “I thought I might be on the lead, but you open the gates and – pccchh. But I liked the way she did it today. She relaxed beautiful behind horses, cut the corner, and then really exploded.”

Hawksmoor snapped a nine-race losing streak in winning for the first time since the Grade 2 New York on Belmont Stakes weekend 2017. The Jacksons said they were prepared beforehand to retire the 6-year-old mare if she didn’t run well Saturday, “but after this, we’re not sure,” said Gretchen Jackson. “We’re very happy with this, and we enjoy the racing more than the breeding.”

The Endeavour lost its morning-line favorite when Rymska was scratched to run instead in the Suwanee River at Gulfstream.