Tapwrit Dominant in Tampa Bay Derby
In what was considered a wide open race without McCraken or Classic Empire, Tapwrit stepped up to the plate and put on a stakes record performance in the $350,000 Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby. The dominant victory gave him 50 points toward the 2017 Kentucky Derby starting gate, which leaves him with a total of 54 points.
State of Honor took up the lead of the 10 horse field, as he did in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis. Sonic Mule followed in second, with No Dozing to his outside. Jockey Jose Ortiz had Tapwrit, trained by Todd Pletcher, back in seventh as State of Honor led the field through the opening half-mile. The first quarter went in :23.42 and the second in :46.65.
As the half-mile passed, Ortiz gave Tapwrit his cue, and the Tapit colt did not hold back. The pair threaded their way through horses and burst to the lead, taking three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.57. State of Honor tried to fight back, but the grey colt on the lead only ran further ahead. In the end, Tapwrit wrapped up the mile-and-a-sixteenth in stakes record time of 1:42.36, finishing 4 ½ lengths ahead of State of Honor.
As the even money favorite, Tapwrit returned $4.20, $3.20, and $2.80. State of Honor, who was third behind Tapwrit in the Sam F. Davis, delivered $7.00 and $4.60 at 9-1. Wild Shot, 5-1, got up for show and paid $4.00.
No Dozing, Beasley, Basha, Tale of Silence, and Sonic Mule completed the order of finish. Zion Valley and The Money Monster were pulled up and walked off the track.
When asked about his ride, Ortiz responded, “Very good. I mean, he broke well. I got him in a good position going to the backside, and I knew I was loaded going to the three-eighths pole, so I didn’t want to get boxed in like I did last time. So I went to the outside, and, you know, he was much the best. When he went to the lead, he pulled off himself and was waiting for competition.”
Pletcher added, “He had kind of a rough trip around the first turn and got shuffled around a little, but he handled it professionally and steadied himself and got in good stride up the backstretch. After he made the lead, Jose kept him occupied down the lane because he has a tendency to idle when he gets ahead. This was everything we could have hoped for.”
The Tampa Bay Derby improved Tapwrit’s career record to three wins and a second from five starts. After winning the Pulpit Stakes, the colt finished a game second to McCraken in the Sam F. Davis. Tapwrit has now earned $313,902 for owners Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Robert V. LaPenta. Tapwrit was bred by My Meadowview LLC and was purchased for $1.2 million at the 2015 Saratoga Yearling Sale.
“I really like him a lot,” said Ortiz, “and I think he can go a mile-and-an-eighth and a mile-and-a-quarter. If he has competition beside him, I think he is going to get much and much better.”
By Christine Oser