Imperial Hint 'didn't fire,' upset in Tampa Bay Downs' Pelican Stakes

Multiple Grade 1 winner Imperial Hint, making his 6-year-old debut in a prep for a possible start on Dubai World Cup, was on Saturday upset by 9-1 shot Killybegs Captain in Tampa Bay Downs' $100,000 Pelican Stakes.

Killybegs Captain took up the lead off the rail in the six-furlong event. He broke from post five and pulled ahead of Old Time Revival, Imperial Hint and Tricks to Doo while Sweetontheladies was far behind. The pacesetter led through fractions of 21.81 and 44.32 with Imperial Hint gearing up for a run on the outside. 

The 1-5 favorite lacked the necessary kick and jockey Samy Camacho, who's been hot at Tampa, continued on to a 4 1/2-length win with Killybegs Captain. 

Sweetontheladies, who was 15 1/2 lengths behind Killybegs Captain at the quarter pole, blew past Imperial Hint to catch second. Imperial Hint had to settle for third.

The final time was 1:09.66.

“Right now it’s still a question mark,” Imperial Hint's trainer, Luis Carvajal Jr., told Tampa Bay Downs' publicity staff about a half-hour after the race. “(Jockey) Antonio (Gallardo) told me that after a half-mile he wasn’t picking up the bit, and usually he will carry you around the turn every time. Today, it was like he was not too interested. He switched leads and he was breathing well, but it looked like he didn’t fire."

The Pelican was Imperial Hint’s first start since finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, a performance that snapped his three-race win streak, which included the True North Stakes (G2), the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) and the Vosburgh Stakes (G1).

Beyond the Pelican, he was pointing to the March 30 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), a race that should also include champion sprinter Roy H.

“The winner ran a really good race, but we should know tomorrow what’s going on (with Imperial Hint)," Carvajal said. "He’s worked better than he ran today, but you have to run the race first. It’s never a sure thing."

The Pelican marked Killybegs Captain's first stakes attempt. The 5-year-old John Terravova trainee entered off a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming win at Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 23. 

“It sure looked on paper like it would be tough, but if we were ever going to take (Imperial Hint) on, this was the time,” Terranova said. “(Killybegs Captain) won that non-winners of two-other-than race, so there really wasn’t anywhere else for him to go, and he’s been training fantastic."