Kentucky Derby prep: Patriot Spirit hosts 11 rivals in Sam F. Davis

Trainer Michael Campbell and his crew have spent much of the last eight weeks sharpening their 3-year-old colt Patriot Spirit for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at a distance of 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs.

But they haven’t had to work much on his competitive spirit, which emerges every time he steps onto the track within sight of other Thoroughbreds.

“He’s a very aggressive animal,” Campbell said, referring to Patriot Spirit’s strong desire to defeat an opponent. “We worked him a mile (on Jan. 13) and he worked terrific, as fast as some horses run (1:38.4) in the afternoon, and he was by himself and galloped out like nobody’s business.

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“We came back and worked him a half-mile a couple of weeks ago, and just as he was pulling up, some horses re-engaged him, and that sucker took off and ran another half-mile. So he had two mile workouts essentially within 12 days.”

The 44th running of the Sam F. Davis, which is a road to the Kentucky Derby prep race worth 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points to the top five finishers, attracted a field of 12 3-year-olds. Patriot Spirit drew the no. 3 post position. The Sam F. Davis is the 10th of 11 races Saturday with a scheduled post time of 5:15 p.m. EST.

“When he saw that other horse trying to pass him, he took off again, and I let him go, because you’re teaching him to get relaxed and breathe and get his stride,” Camacho said. “I hope he breaks well, and (if he does) he’s going to be 1, 2, 3 early, and we’ve got a big chance.”

The field will be tough as it is just about every year, but Campbell believes Patriot Spirit is coming up to it just right and will have no difficulty getting the two-turn distance. That belief is based in large measure on his pedigree. He’s by two-time 1 1/8-mile, Grade 1 winner Constitution, himself a son of the marvelous sire Tapit, and out of Mistical Plan, a Grade 1 winner at six furlongs who won the 1 1/16-mile Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

“It’s the pedigree that makes the difference” in determining a horse’s distance capabilities, Campbell said. “The ‘coach’ (trainer) can enhance that, but you’re not going to make them something that they’re not. I’m convinced this horse will be better off going two turns rather than (six furlongs).”

Patriot Spirit’s foes in the Sam F. Davis will include Grade 3 winner West Saratoga, who finished second at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 13 in the Pasco Stakes; Pletcher’s duo of Grade 2 turf winner Agate Road and Tireless; the improving Change of Command, a son of Into Mischief; and Inaugural Stakes runner-up Crazy Mason.

Campbell got Patriot Spirit after owner George Mellon, in the name of his Mellon Patch stable, paid $235,000 at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March auction of 2-year-olds in training. He is confident the colt belongs in the Sam F. Davis.

“From the moment I got this horse, I knew he was something special,” he said. “I respect the competition, but I wouldn’t trade places with anyone in the race.”

The conditioner credited the proverbial village for the colt’s ongoing development. His two assistant trainers Jesse Garcia, a former jockey who rode more than 2,000 winners from 1982 to 2019 and was Tampa Bay Downs’s leading rider in 1997 and 1998, and Carlos Espinoza have each exercised Patriot Spirit in the mornings. Groom Rafael Aguilar attends to the colt’s needs in and around the barn.

“They are all really good horsemen. I’m the coach, but I depend on those guys for information,” Campbell said. “Jesse comes with the most experience, and he is the most committed person you’re going to find. He’s irreplaceable (with) just his overall knowledge and experience. “Every day we ask ourselves, ‘Are we doing the right thing?’ ‘How’d he feel today?’ ‘Is there anything we can improve on?’ ” Campbell said. “(The success of any racehorse) is much larger than one person. They all play a role, and it’s important to have that trust and confidence and enjoy the people you’re around. I have all of the above, so I’m very blessed.”

Patriot Spirit wore blinkers in his first three career starts, and Campbell elected to remove them for the Inaugural. They will stay off Saturday. The trainer believes the colt runs more settled and focused without them.

When you get around Patriot Spirit, you can sense the adrenalin his two-legged friends feel whenever they saddle him up.

“He’s very enjoyable to be around, and he’s very smart,” Garcia said. “Whatever you put in front of him, he picks up quick. He’s had a nice journey so far, and we hope it keeps going.”

As for the home-course advantage Saturday with Patriot Spirit having been at Tampa Bay Downs since the start of the meet, Campbell figured it can’t hurt.

“He’s raced at four different tracks and handled that really well, but I can’t say enough about not having to ship. So much can go wrong. ... He’s accustomed to this track, and he relishes it.”