Bright sunshine made for a pleasant day to host the 19th annual Florida Cup, a collection of six $110,000 stakes races for registered Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs.
While Treasure King, winner of the Equistaff Sophomore Turf, and Shifty She, winner of the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf, lived up to their odds as betting favorites, the other races produced longer shots in one of the most wide-open Florida Cup cards in the event's history.
Ocala Breeders' Sales Sophomore Stakes
The connections of King Cab didn't think the seven-furlong Ocala Breeders' Sales Sophomore Stakes would be easy with such proven horses in the field as stakes winners Cattin and Lightening Larry and grade 3-placed Dean Delivers among the field of six 3-year-olds.
But after breaking on top and getting King Cab to relax, jockey Emisael Jaramillo had no worries. The Edward Plesa Jr.-trained gelding strode out to the wire, winning by 4 3/4 lengths over Lightening Larry in 1:22.25 on a fast track. It was King Cab's first stakes triumph.
Cattin finished third, a half-length behind Lightening Larry.
"This horse is very, very fast," said Jaramillo, who rode him for the first time. "Six furlongs, seven, he's very strong. When I got to the 3/8-mile pole, I knew it was over. He's so easy to ride."
King Cab was bred in partnership by Ocala Stud, Edward Wiest, and William J. Terrill and is owned by David Melin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa, the trainer's wife.
"He's an exceptionally talented horse who does things his way," trainer Plesa said of the winner. "We tried him a distance of ground last time just to see if we could kind of get him to rate a little bit. That didn't work, so I'm not going to do anything to mess him up. I'm just going to let him do what he likes to do."
Equistaff Sophomore Turf Stakes
Treasure King wore down pace-setter Tapthespeedofsound in late stretch of the Equistaff Sophomore Turf Stakes under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano for a three-quarter-length victory in only his second career start.
Now 2-for-2, Treasure King posted a time of 1:42.19 for the 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf course. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher conditions Treasure King.
"I really like this horse," Castellano said. "He's by a Galileo horse (Treasure Beach), so I thought he would like the turf. Everything he did, he did the right way. I had a lot of confidence to win the race."
Treasure King was bred by Patricia Generazio and is owned by Mathis Stable. The colt is out of Wave of Glory, by Midshipman.
Live Oak Plantation homebred Tapthespeedofsound was dogged in defeat, putting forth a solid effort throughout under jockey Edwin Gonzalez. Mark Casse was pleased with the runner up's performance.
Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies
Midnight Stroll's Feb. 26 maiden victory at Tampa Bay stamped her as a filly with plenty of promise. Her potential seems even greater after her gate-to-wire victory in the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies under jockey Pablo Morales.
Never threatened at any point of the seven-furlong race, Midnight Stroll posted a 3 1/4-length victory over Rapturous, with betting favorite Outfoxed finishing a distant third. The winner paid $16.80 after completing the distance in 1:23.12.
A daughter of Not This Time out of Midnight Magic, by Midnight Lute, Midnight Stroll was bred by Dr. Carolin Von Rosenberg DVM and is owned by Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable, and Steven Schoenfeld. John Terranova II is the winning trainer. Midnight Stroll improved to 2-for-4 with the victory.
"We got her started (last summer) at Saratoga and it took a while to get her going," Terranova said. "So we kind of regrouped and brought her down here and stretched her out (to a mile and 40 yards) to break her maiden. We had this race in mind even before then. She has shown a lot of quality and we really like her."
"She does it so effortlessly," Morales said. "Every time I've been on her, since this meet started, she has shown so much class. We loved her the day of her maiden win, but after that she got even better. She came in real sharp today and when the gate opened, she was gone. She is a very classy horse."
Grey Goose Turf Classic
When 5-year-old gelding Drama Chorus broke on top in the Grey Goose Turf Classic and was able to dictate the fractions in the 1 1/8-mile race, his connections realized it was a dream scenario.
The 11-1 shot had enough left through the stretch to hold off a determined rally from Max K. O. by a neck, earning Drama Chorus his first stakes victory. Lure Him In finished third and the heavy favorite, Shamrocket, was a non-threatening fourth.
"It's great. Walk the dog early, then he outran some good horses," said winning trainer Tim Padilla. "It was perfect. He finished strong and he battled back when (Max K. O.) came to him."
Drama Chorus is a homebred racing for breeder-owner Peter Mattson. He is a son of Big Drama out of Missmollybygolly, by Scat Daddy.
Padilla's go-to rider, Alonso Quinonez, guided Drama Chorus home in 1:48.58 on firm turf.
Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf
With almost 1,600 victories, former Tampa Bay Downs jockey Edwin Gonzalez is putting together an excellent career. And with a few more horses to ride such as 6-year-old mare Shifty She, it probably won't be long before Gonzalez's reputation takes off like the winner of the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf did through the stretch.
The lightly-raced daughter of Gone Astray—Perilous Hope (Strong Hope) easily turned back a stretch bid from runner-up Our Flash Driveand third-place finisher Mona Stella. Bettors caught on beforehand, reducing Shifty She's odds to 3-5 at post time.
Shifty She finished the 1 1/16 miles on the grass in 1:41.43. She is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Chris Pallas bred Shifty She in partnership with George Klein. Pallas and Harvey Rothenberg are co-owners under their Pedigree Partners banner.
The victory was the fourth in stakes company for Shifty She, who won the Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) last fall at Belmont under Gonzalez and finished second and third in a pair of grade 3 events at Gulfstream Park with Gonzalez aboard before coming to Oldsmar.
"She is a very nice (mare). She always breaks running, and when she breaks I let her do what she wants to be comfortable," Gonzalez said. "I don't want to be fighting her because I know wherever I put her, she is going to give me her best."
Gonzalez and Shifty She controlled the pace throughout, and when he asked her to guarantee the victory in the stretch, she responded.
"She won wire-to-wire and was in front the whole way, so it was a nice performance," Joseph said. "Before the owners sent her to us she had an issue and they gave her the time off she needed. It was almost two years. She came to us a good filly, and since she's been with us we've just tried to do as good of a job as the previous trainer. She's just class."
Joseph said he hopes to try Shifty She in grade 1 company, possibly in the June 11 Longines Just a Game (G1T) at Belmont. "That was the idea, to run in this race and hopefully, cut her back to the one-turn mile and see if we can get a grade 1-placing in her and hopefully, win a grade 1 with her," the conditioner said.
NYRABETS Sprint
Co-owner and trainer Elizabeth Dobles claimed Pudding last July for $25,000 at Gulfstream Park, so it was hard to express her pride in the 7-year-old gelding after his thrilling victory over last year's NYRABETS Sprint winner Tap it to Win in today's Florida Cup finale.
"He's a dream to train. He's one of my favorites," Dobles said after Pudding won his first stakes under jockey Javier Castellano. "I guess almost every horse I train turns out to be one of my favorites, but he is definitely one of my heart horses."
Pudding completed the six-furlong distance in 1:09.01. Cajun Casanova finished third in the six-horse field.
A son of Two Step Salsa out of Jozi's Turn (Johannesburg), Pudding is owned by Dobles in partnership with John Guarnere's Imaginary Stables. He was bred by JSL Thoroughbreds.
