Juveniles will be in the spotlight Dec. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs with nine races comprised entirely of 2-year-olds, including the Inaugural stakes and Sandpiper Stakes, a pair of six-furlong contests worth $125,000 apiece.
The stakes are not the only intriguing races on the program.
Also Saturday, Flight of Fancy, a 2-year-old half sister to unbeaten 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner and Horse of the Year Flightline , will make her career debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in the fourth race under the silks of her breeder and owner, Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine. A deep field is entered in the six-furlong maiden race on the dirt.
But the main event of the day would appear to be the Inaugural, where trainer Brian Lynch runs the quick Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing's Donut God, who won his only start in fast time. Despite his limited experience, he was the ninth favorite among individual betting choices at 52-1 odds in the most recent Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
Lynch, who won the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) in 2022 with Classic Causeway , has been highly impressed with Donut God since the son of Into Mischief arrived in his barn in early August.
"He's coming into (the Inaugural) with a reputation. Time will tell, but he has always been a professional little horse," Lynch said. "He's been very precocious, fast from the gate and a quick learner. He's just real smart.
"He's not real big, about 15 hands and 3, but there's plenty of him. This is a competitive field and most of them have more experience than he does, but I think he's up to the task."
Leading jockey Samy Camacho has the riding assignment on Donut God, who will break from post 5. Camacho has won three of the last four editions of the Inaugural, including last year on Patriot Spirit.
Second choice for the Inaugural at 3-1 is Naughty Rascal, a colt owned by Mr Pug and J.P.G. 2, and trained by Gerald Bennett, a nine-time training champion at the Oldsmar, Fla., oval. Naughty Rascal is 3-for-4 with two stakes victories, both at Gulfstream Park.
Naughty Rascal has worked three times at Tampa Bay Downs, including a five-furlong bullet breeze Nov. 24 in 1:00 3/5.
Tapirs Valor is third choice on the morning line at 5-1. He was acquired privately by his current connections after breaking his maiden Oct. 18 at Keeneland in his second career start. He now starts for Runnymoore Racing and trainer Tim Hamm.
The other Inaugural entrant with single-digit odds is the Gary Contessa-trained gelding Epitaph, set at 6-1.
Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, December 7, 2024, Race 6Entries: Inaugural S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Mila's Wish (FL) Marcos Meneses 119 Michael Yates 15/1 2 2Mr. Squeaky Wheels (KY) Israel O. Rodriguez 119 Kevin Rice 15/1 3 3Naughty Rascal (FL) Miguel Angel Vasquez 122 Gerald S. Bennett 3/1 4 4Candycrumbs (FL) Antonio A. Gallardo 122 Mary Lightner 10/1 5 5Donut God (KY) Samy Camacho 119 Brian A. Lynch 6/5 6 6R N R Audible (KY) Alonso Quinonez 119 Tim P. Padilla 20/1 7 7Tapirs Valor (KY) Pablo Morales 119 Timothy E. Hamm 5/1 8 8Epitaph (NY) Rosario Montanez 119 Gary C. Contessa 6/1
Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, December 7, 2024, Race 8Entries: Sandpiper S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Hollygrove (KY) Daniel Centeno 119 D. Whitworth Beckman 10/1 2 2Tessitura (KY) Willie Martinez 119 Eoin G. Harty 30/1 3 3Paradise City (KY) Micah J. Husbands 119 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 4/1 4 4Mrs Worldwide (FL) Samuel Marin 122 Brian A. Lynch 6/1 5 5Carroll's Honor (FL) Israel O. Rodriguez 119 Kevin Rice 20/1 6 6Dancing Magic (KY) Antonio A. Gallardo 119 Michael B. Campbell 3/1 7 7La Gioconda (FL) Miguel Angel Vasquez 119 Gustavo Delgado 8/1 8 8Another Cleeshay (NY) Pablo Morales 119 Gary C. Contessa 9/2 9 9Andrea (KY) Samy Camacho 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 7/2
