Wright looks to extend win streak to seven

At first glance, the eighth race Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs looks like your run-of-the-mill bottom-level claimer – but with trainer Michael Wright on an amazing run, the race will command special attention.

Wright has won with his first six starters of the 2021-22 meet at Tampa, and he’ll try to move his record to 7 for 7 when saddling Victor’s Destiny in the 5 1/2-furlong race for $5,000 claimers who have not won twice in the last six months.

Wright’s current streak includes a front-running 15-1 upset Saturday by Nantucket Red in the $50,000 Wayward Lass, marking the second time the 7-year-old mare has won at the meet. Wright added to the pile Sunday when More Chances won a maiden-claiming race in his 14th career start, coming through as an 11-10 favorite.

According to track publicity, the Tampa record for most consecutive wins by a trainer is nine, set by E.T. Clark in 1977, when the Oldsmar, Fla., track was still known as Florida Downs. Longer streaks have been documented elsewhere, perhaps most notably when the late Frank Passero Jr. won 14 races in a row at Gulfstream Park in 1996.

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Wright winters at Tampa but has made Woodbine in Canada his primary base since he began training in the late 1960s. His most accomplished runner was Scotzanna, who earned two Sovereign Awards in 1995.

A nine-race Wednesday card starts another four-day week at 12:15 p.m. Eastern, with the eighth race going at 3:48. The nominal feature is race 6, a $28,000 allowance for fillies and mares going seven furlongs.

Victor’s Destiny will break from post 1 and will be ridden by Olaf Hernandez, who has been aboard for three of the six Wright wins. The 6-year-old gelding will be making his first start since Nov. 6 and is the 9-2 third choice on the morning line in a field of nine.