Naughty Rascal Wins Pasco After Owen Almighty DQ

The fans in attendance at Tampa Bay Downs were treated to a show in addition to live racing as the pair of featured seven-furlong 3-year-old stakes provided plenty of drama and theatrics Jan. 11. The drama first unfolded in the $92,500 Pasco Stakes—a prep race for the Feb. 8 Sam F. Davis Stakes on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1)—as a sensational performance by Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing's Owen Almighty was wiped out by a disqualification that granted Naughty Rascal the victory. Owen Almighty flashed early speed despite making his first start following a gastrointestinal infection that kept him out of the starting gate for four months. The son of Speightstown found himself locked in a duel throughout the entire seven furlongs; first with Rookie Card and then with Naughty Rascal. Posting fractions of :21.92 and :44.53 with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Owen Almighty would not be denied as he dug deep and found more gas in the stretch, hitting the wire on top by a length while stopping the clock in 1:22.50. However, the perfect return to the races had one crucial blemish at the moment his pace rival changed. As Owen Almighty took clear command from Rookie Card, he stepped inward at the bend into the far turn and bumped Rookie Card. Jockey Junior Alvarado took up sharply as Rookie Card briefly lost his footing and the pair plummeted from contention to more than 10 lengths back in a matter of strides, eventually crossing the wire fifth while 23 lengths behind. The stewards were quick to post the inquiry sign as soon as the race finished. After several minutes they announced Owen Almighty was disqualified from a second career stakes victory and placed fifth. "(Ortiz Jr.) said he felt like the other horse (Rookie Card) was out of gas and he was looking for an excuse to stop," Owen Almighty's trainer Brian Lynch said of conversations with his rider after the race. "He said they got a little tight and made it a little bit theatrical. From there, that's the way it all played out. It was a stewards' decision. Under the circumstances, they probably made the right one." Despite the loss, Lynch was still upbeat about the colt's strong performance off the layoff and said he preferred to look on the bright side. "I was absolutely thrilled. I didn't anticipate him being on the lead like that," Lynch said. "They did carve out some very fast fractions and finished up very strong, too. We're just thrilled to have him back and run as well as he did and we'll stay on target for the Sam F. Davis." Although the beneficiary, winning by disqualification should not discredit a strong performance by Mr Pug and J.P.G. 2's Naughty Rascal. After all, it was the early move of jockey Edwin Gonzalez tackling the front-running pair that applied pressure to Owen Almighty, making him move forward from Rookie Card and leaning inward entering the turn. The son of Rogueish inherited the lead as the incident occurred and held that advantage over Owen Almighty throughout the far turn. Despite not maintaining that position over his rail-skimming rival in the stretch, Naughty Rascal never surrendered and stayed a threat through the wire. He finished 4 1/2 lengths clear of Very Bold, who was 9 3/4 lengths ahead of Cockeyed. Those two would ultimately complete the trifecta while Naughty Rascal paid $8.20 to win. "My horse ran his race, but I think he'll get much better going two turns," said Naughty Rascal's trainer Gerald Bennett. "I didn't really drill on him for this race. He eats everything you put in front of him, and he looked a little on the heavy side in the paddock." The promotion gave Naughty Rascal his third stakes victory and fourth win overall from six starts. The colt bred in Florida by Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson, and Helen and Joseph Barbazon has now earned $220,630. He was a $39,000 purchase by JPG2 at the 2024 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. "He's way off from being at his peak, but you want them to peak at the right time," Bennett said. "My main objective is to try to win the (March 8) Tampa Bay Derby." Dancing Magic Flies Late to Win Gasparilla The drama continued one race later as the $82,500 Gasparilla Stakes began with Tessitura hooking a left out of her inside post position and unseating jockey Willie Martinez. Horse and rider were both reported to be okay after the race by track announcer Jason Beem. Lynn's Milky Way broke quickly and opened a sizeable advantage over her rivals while posting fractions of :22.03 and :44.83. As she grew leg-weary in the stretch, Mellon Patch's Dancing Magic was finding her best stride after racing second-last down the backstretch. Rallying fast in the center of the track, she blew past Lynn's Milky Way and hit wire two lengths clear in 1:23.70. Win N Your In finished third. Dancing Magic paid $9.00 to win. The victory provided redemption for jockey Alvarado, reaching the winner's circle after being forced into an early retreat one race prior. The Michael Campbell trainee picked up her first stakes victory in her seventh career start while upping her career earnings to $116,475. "I had a beautiful trip, and the pace was hot so I had something to run at," Alvarado said. "When we hit the three-eighths pole she was ready for me, and after that I was just guiding her. She was traveling beautifully the whole way." The Good Magic filly was bred in Kentucky by Pavel Matejka and was purchased for $270,000 by George Mellon at the OBS March Sale. The Gasparilla serves as a prep race for Tampa Bay Downs' Suncoast Stakes, which offers qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1).