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Candy Man Rocket and jockey Junior Alvarado winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes
Saturday s Cross Country Pick 5, featuring stakes action from New York s Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, paid $872.50 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The sequence s total pool was $123,055.
Aqueduct started the wager when Dublinornothin upset favorite Mabel Island in a seven-furlong allowance race for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up. The Eduardo Jones trainee rallied from fourth in the stretch under jockey Andre Worrie to post a half-length victory. Dublinornothin returned $19 on a $2 win wager.
Curlin s Catch started the sequence s stakes portion with a 4 1/2-length score in the Suncoast for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and 40 yards on the Tampa Bay main track. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Curlin s Catch sat off the pace before drawing away under Antonio Gallardo as the favorite. She paid $5.60.
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Candy Man Rocket and jockey Junior Alvarado winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who sent out 1-2 finishers Candy Man Rocket and Nova Rags in Saturday s Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, said he hopes to return to Tampa Bay Downs with at least one of the 3-year-old colts on March 6 for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.
“It was gratifying to see both horses pass the two-turn test,” said Mott, who sent his son Riley Mott to Oldsmar from south Florida for saddling duties. “They both ran big races and it looked like they were strong at the finish. They came out of the race well, so I think both horses would be possible for the (Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby).”
Candy Man Rocket leads Mott exacta in Sam F. Davis Feb 6, 2021 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com CANDY MAN ROCKET (SV Photography)
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott brought two improving colts to Tampa Bay Downs
on Saturday for the $200,000 Sam F. Davis S. (G3) on Saturday and was rewarded
when
Exiting a 9 1/4-length maiden over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park last
month, Candy Man Rocket had no issues negotiating the stretch-out to 1 1/16
miles. Nor for that matter did Nova Rags, who was last seen taking the
seven-furlong Pasco S. at Tampa.
Racing in close attendance to one another while chasing Boca Boy through
Candy Man Rocket Passes Two-Turn Test, Leads Mott Exacta In Sam F. Davis Sponsored by:
Candy Man Rocket and jockey Junior Alvarado winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes
For a few fleeting seconds nearing the turn for home in the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., it appeared pace-setter Boca Boy was about to pull away from his closest pursuer, Candy Man Rocket.
But Junior Alvarado, the jockey on Candy Man Rocket, wanted to wait a little longer to launch his move.
“I didn t really want to engage the horse up front (Boca Boy) or make any quick move too early. I just had to move a little bit, keep holding my position and wait as long as I could,” Alvarado said. “He doesn t have a real quick turn of foot, but he started grinding it out so I started picking it up and I was really pleased by the quarter pole turning for home.”
Dozen Derby prospects entered in Sam F. Davis Feb 3, 2021 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com TAMPA BAY DOWNS (SV Photography)
The 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby series hits the west coast of Florida on
Saturday when a full field lines up in the $250,000 Sam F. Davis S. (G3) at
Tampa Bay Downs. The 1 1/16-mile test will award Derby qualifying points of
10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers.
The seemingly wide-open cast is unlikely to have a strong favorite, but
Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) runner-up
Smiley Sobotka will have an
opportunity to validate the form of that late November feature at Churchill