Prospect Watch: Pletcher quartet lines up for Sam F. Davis day
Trainer Todd Pletcher doesn't have a horse entered in Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, but the two-time Kentucky Derby-winning conditioner will nevertheless enjoy a busy afternoon on the 3-year-old circuit.
The Sam F. Davis undercard includes two competitive maiden races for sophomores, and a Pletcher pair entered both. At auction they sold for total of $1,615,000, with all four bringing classic-oriented pedigrees to the equation.
Let’s review Pletcher’s quartet plus two other colts to know on Saturday in this week’s prospect watch:
Gulfstream Park Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/8 miles, 3:04 p.m. ET)
#8 Spa City
Could the third time be the charm for Godolphin homebred Spa City? A son of Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of the three-time graded stakes-winning mare Sara Louise, Spa City didn’t show much when finishing fifth in his debut sprinting at Gulfstream Park. However, Spa City took a big step forward when stretching out to a mile on Jan. 11, finishing second in a fast race behind runaway winner Caracaro, a stakes prospect. Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles could lead to another step forward from this Kiaran McLaughlin-trained colt, who will retain the services of Eclipse Award-winning rider Irad Ortiz Jr.
Tampa Bay Downs Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (1 mile and 40 yards, 1:46 p.m. ET)
#2 Texas Swing
Since the beginning of 2015, letcher has compiled an astonishing 84: 31-20-8 record at Tampa Bay Downs for a a 37% win rate with 70% of his horses in the money. Going back to 2017, Pletcher also future Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming there to break his maiden, so it’s wise to pay attention whenever Pletcher sends a sophomore to Tampa, especially when a big-name rider joins.
Texas Swing might not be the flashiest runner at first glance, but there are reasons to believe he’ll improve on Saturday. A son of Curlin out of a Tiznow mare, Texas Swing is bred to run long but didn’t fare badly when beaten three lengths in his Dec. 21 debut sprinting six furlongs at Gulfstream Park. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was in the saddle that day and will remain aboard at Tampa Bay Downs, a vote of confidence for this $275,000 yearling purchase. A bullet workout at Palm Beach Downs suggests Texas Swing is ready to roll.
#3 Giocare
The second Pletcher trainee in this competitive field, Giocare brought $300,000 as a yearling and is owned by the partnership of Let’s Go Stable and Repole Stable. As with Texas Swing, Giocare is a son of Curlin, but damsire Storm Cat brings a bit more speed to Giocare’s pedigree. On paper Giocare doesn’t look as formidable as his stablemate — this is his first start and his work tab is modest — but Pletcher has enlisted high-percentage local jockey Daniel Centeno to ride. They won with their lone runner together during the last 60 days.
A son of successful stallion Speightstown, Extraordinary is the second named foaled produced by the Pulpit mare Fiftyshadesofhay, a four-time graded stakes winner who most notably nabbed the 2013 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) and 2014 Ruffian Stakes (G2). No wonder this colt sold for $750,000 as a yearling.
Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and Stonestreet Stables and trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Extraordinary has turned in some sharp workouts at Palm Meadows, including a bullet :47.65 half mile from the starting gate on Dec. 27. Brisset strikes at just an 8% rate with first-time starters, so Extraordinary probably isn’t fully cranked to win on debut. But with successful jockey Jose Ortiz named to ride, it’s clear Extraordinary’s connections hold this chestnut colt in high regard.
Tampa Bay Downs Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (6 1/2 furlongs, 3:20 p.m. ET)
#6 Silver Maker
Pletcher’s most exciting prospect of the day might be Silver Maker, a beautifully bred son of Empire Maker out of the Mr. Greeley mare Silver Colors, already renowned as the dam of Alabama (G1) winner Eskimo Kisses. This classy pedigree is one reason why Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable paid $800,000 to purchase Silver Maker as a yearling. Silver Maker looks ready to fire a good shot on debut after posting a lengthy string of workouts at Palm Beach Downs. Jockey Jose Ortiz has been named to ride.
#8 Semper Fi
The powerful partnership of WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing will be represented by the Pletcher-trained Semper Fi, who sold for $240,000 as a 2-year-old in training. A son of Pletcher’s two-time Grade 1 winner Carpe Diem out of the stakes-winning turf sprinter Charlie Papa, Semper Fi has shown speed in workouts at Palm Beach Downs, clocking a swift half-mile in :47 3/5 on Jan. 25. With his speed-oriented pedigree and Velazquez in the saddle, Semper Fi figures to give Silver Maker a tough challenge in this 6 1/2-furlong dash.