Citizen Bull, Burnham Square, and Captain Cook – those guys all looked pretty good in last weekend’s Derby preps, but it bears remembering we’re still in early February.

The Withers, won by Captain Cook, has not been a meaningful Derby prep at all, and the Holy Bull, won by Burnham Square, has not much impacted the Derby since Barbaro won both races in 2006.

That was the last year the Sam F. Davis Stakes had Derby consequences, with Davis winner Bluegrass Cat finishing second in the Derby. Let’s see if anything changes.

Sam F. Davis

The Texas Thoroughbred Association’s broodmare of the year Soft Music is set for a big February.

She is the dam of Too Much Kiki, the recently named TTA horse of the year who is set to launch her 4-year-old season in an allowance race Sunday at Sam Houston Race Park.

Later this month, Soft Music is scheduled to be bred to Annapolis, the son of War Front who was a Grade 1 winner of $1.5 million. He stands at Claiborne Farm. Soft Music is owned by Danele Durham, an Oaklawn-based trainer who has been named the TTA breeder of the year for 2024.

While disappointed by the disqualification of Owen Almighty from first place for interference in the Pasco Stakes last month, trainer Brian Lynch was hardly discouraged. In the month since that race, Lynch has been delighted with Owen Almighty, who makes his two-turn debut in Saturday’s $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trainer Brad Cox saddled a pair of notable older horses to separate wins on the Southwest undercard last month at Oaklawn Park and now both Kinetic and Bishops Bay could be bound for graded stakes action.

Kinetic won the $145,000 General MacArthur, a new overnight stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, on Jan. 25 and is now 3 for 3 at the distance. Kinetic earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. One start prior, Kinetic had run second to Grade 1 winner Saudi Crown in the Tenacious at Fair Grounds.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Brian Lynch and owner Victoriam Farm LLC swept Gulfstream Park’s annual five-furlong turf sprint series for fillies and mares a year ago with Stone Silent. On Saturday, the pair will try to take step two toward repeating the feat when sending out Just a Care as the likely favorite in the $140,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint.

Flush with stakes-caliber 3-year-old fillies, trainer Whit Beckman is in the enviable position of being able to pick his spots in an attempt to get one or more of them to the Kentucky Oaks.

In Saturday’s $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, Beckman seems to have found a nice spot for Her Laugh to make her 3-year-old debut, pick up some more Oaks qualifying points, and potentially remain unbeaten.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Corningstone has taken ownership of the filly and mare route division this meet at Oaklawn Park by winning the first two stakes in the series, and to maintain her grasp Saturday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa, she will have to defeat a slew of invaders led by Loved.

Loved enters the 1 1/16-mile race that drew six off a win in the Grade 3 Falls City at Churchill Downs. Others set to start include Free Like a Girl, a 19-time stakes winner who has earned $2.1 million, and last-out stakes winners Wild Bout Hilary and Little Jamie.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Before he attempts to jump on the Triple Crown trail, Sand Devil will get one more tune-up against New York-bred competition in Saturday’s $125,000 Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct.

Sand Devil, a son of Violence owned by Chester Broman and trained by Linda Rice, figures to be around 1-5 against four rivals in the seven-furlong Damon Runyon. That explains why the race is carded as the second (1:10 p.m. post) on a nine-race card.

After trading decisions this season at Turfway Park, Grace On Grace and My Lil Punky get a rubber match in Saturday night’s $125,000 Valdale Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies on Tapeta.