Extravagant Kid on a roll into Tampa Bay Downs' Turf Dash

Florida-bred Extravagant Kid, whose local victory last year in the Florida Cup Sprint kicked off a bountiful season featuring four stakes victories and a Grade 1 placing, heads the list of probable starters for Saturday’s $100,000 Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Turf Dash, for horses 4 years old and up, and the $100,000 Lightning City Stakes, for fillies and mares 4 and up, headline the track’s annual Turf Sprint Showcase Day card. Both races will be contested over five furlongs on the turf course.

Extravagant Kid, who is owned by DARRS, Inc., and trained by Brendan Walsh, was well-traveled in 2019. After winning the Florida Cup Sprint, the 7-year-old gelding shipped to Toronto, where he finished second to Canadian superstar Pink Lloyd in the Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) on the all-weather track at Woodbine.

Next up was a trip to Louisville for a victory in the Mighty Beau Overnight Stakes on the Churchill Downs turf. Then, back to Woodbine, where he finished second to Wet Your Whistle in the Highlander Stakes (G1) on the grass.

Kept fresh and keen by Walsh, Extravagant Kid went on to win the Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs in Virginia and finish second in the Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) at Woodbine. He concluded 2019 on Dec. 28 by capturing the Janus Stakes (taken off the turf) at Gulfstream and began 2020 on Jan. 18 by winning the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes on the dirt at Gulfstream.

Extravagant Kid is 13-for-40 lifetime, with 11 seconds, and has career earnings of $787,354.

Other probables for the Turf Dash include multiple stakes-winning 5-year-old Justaholic, trained by Tom Clark; End Play, a 7-year-old gelding from the barn of last season’s Turf Dash-winning trainer, Jason Servis; Backtohisroots, trained by John P. Terranova, II; and Mai Ty One On, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Jane Cibelli.

Heading the list of Lightning City probables is 8-year-old mare Rocky Policy, owned by Barry Ostrager and trained by Robert B. Hess, Jr. Sporting an 8-for-38 lifetime record, with career earnings of $449,709, she turned in a superb performance in September to win the 5-furlong Turf Amazon Stakes at Parx Racing.

A likely Lightning City contender is 4-year-old Ireland-bred filly Mae Never No, trained by Wesley Ward. Although she has raced only twice on the turf, with two thirds, she is a stakes winner who has been working well at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach for her 2020 debut.

The Lightning City field could also include stakes winner Miss Deplorable, a 5-year-old Florida-bred mare trained by Baltazar Galvan; 5-year-old Florida-bred mare R Happy Ending, owned by Averill Racing and trained by Georgina Baxter; lightly raced Ode to Joy, a 5-year-old mare trained by Arnaud Delacour; 4-year-old Ambassador Luna, trained by James Gulick; and conditioner Chandradat Goberdhan’s filly Sea Sparkle.