Renegade takes 20 Kentucky Derby points in Sam F. Davis

Renegade stormed through the stretch under Irad Ortiz Jr. to capture the 46th running of the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths at Tampa Bay Downs, picking up 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

The 6-5 favorite, who entered the race as a maiden after a disqualification following a first-place finish last October at Belmont at the Big A, covered the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:43.54 on a fast main track for his first official victory in four career starts.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for Repole Stable and breeders Robert and Lawana Low, Renegade is a son of Into Mischief out of the Curlin mare Spice Is Nice. First-place money of $120,000 raised his career earnings to $199,000.

"It wasn't an easy race," said owner Mike Repole. "But he got a nice pace up front. He was wide, but I think Irad knew he had the best horse. It is better sometimes to be wide and not caught in traffic than to get caught in traffic and be the best horse.

"Todd has done a great job with this horse and we think he can get better with age and more distance. If this is any indication, I am pretty excited."

Ortiz, who rode four winners on the card including Suncoast Stakes winner Zany, kept Renegade near the rear of the nine-horse field early before unleashing a powerful move on the turn for home.

"It looked like there was a lot of speed in the race, so I thought maybe today I would have the option to come from way back," Ortiz said. "The plan worked out beautifully. I really felt like he was going to win coming home, and when I asked him he really came on strong."

Pletcher, reached by telephone afterward, expressed high hopes for Renegade's 3-year-old campaign.

"I was pleased with his race," Pletcher said. "I thought it was impressive considering he got shuffled back a little bit and was then pretty far back ... on a track that seemed like it was playing kindly to horses up close. He had to put in a pretty wide move, but I thought he really leveled off the last part of the race and finished up strongly.

"I thought it was a perfect start to his 3-year-old campaign."

The Sam F. Davis appeared destined for an upset when 48-1 long shot Wayne's Law, the lone Florida-bred in the nine-horse field, held the lead at the top of the stretch under Tampa Bay Downs jockey Marcos Meneses.

"I expected to stay behind the speed early," said Meneses, who saw nothing but daylight aboard Wayne's Law heading into the stretch. "He was doing it so easy and was relaxed and I was feeling so comfortable, I thought he had it."

Renegade had other plans.

"He passed me like a monster in the stretch. I knew I had horse left, but not like him," Meneses said.

The Puma, making his second career start, finished third, and Game for It ran fourth.