Sam F. Davis Stakes 2022: Contenders & Odds

Road to the Derby: Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes

** FEB 11 UPDATE - Howling Time will scratch from tomorrows Sam F Davis Stakes. That means 13 Little Vic will draw in. **

For a number of 3-year-old Thoroughbreds whose connections hold Kentucky Derby aspirations, 4:54 p.m. on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs is show-and-tell time.

A field of 12 sophomores, a few more promising than the others, is expected to line up about that time for the 42nd running of the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a mile-and-a-sixteenth race awarding "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

The Sam F. Davis is one of four main-track stakes races on a good-looking, 11-race Festival Preview Day card beginning at 12:11 p.m. The program includes three other stakes races: the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks points race to be contested as the eighth race; the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes, for horses 4-years-old-and-upward, which is the seventh race; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward, scheduled as the sixth.

In addition to being a field of dreams for breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys and stable workers, the Sam F. Davis is the major prep race for the Grade II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, which is the showcase event of a $1-million-plus Festival Day card on March 12 featuring four graded stakes races.

To get to Festival Day, the Sam F. Davis entrants need to show they've upped their games off their 2-year-old performances. There is no shortage of confident handlers.

"It's a good (Kentucky) Derby prep race, the timing is good and our horse is healthy and doing everything right," said Dale Romans, the trainer of Kentucky-bred colt Howling Time, expected to be one of the betting favorites.

"(The Sam F. Davis) is a good race to get your horse to the next level, and it's a great race to win on its own. But we are looking down the road (with Howling Time)," Romans said.

Howling Time, who is owned by Albaugh Family Stables and will be ridden by his regular jockey, Joseph Talamo, won his first two starts as a 3-year-old, including the Street Sense Stakes on Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs, before fading to a fifth-place finish in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 27 at Churchill. "No one else wanted the lead," Romans said, "and I don't think that's where this horse wants to run."

Romans said he hopes Talamo can place Howling Time somewhere behind the leaders before unleashing his best run late. "This horse never gets tired, and we just want to get him to finish with a nice run and hopefully win," Romans said.

Joining Howling Time from the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is Kentucky-bred colt Classic Causeway, who finished a solid second in that race to Smile Happy. Irad Ortiz, Jr., will take over the riding assignment from Joel Rosario. Classic Causeway is 1-for-3, including a third-place finish on Oct. 9 in the Grade I Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

Trainer Brian Lynch said today he is sending Classic Causeway from his south Florida base to Tampa Bay Downs on Thursday, with the intention of jogging him Friday morning and schooling him in the paddock Friday afternoon.

"I'd like to see him get his first graded-stakes victory and keep picking up Derby points," said Lynch, who trains Classic Causeway for Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper. "His workouts have been solid, and everything about them suggests he should run well.

"I feel that if he runs his race, he will certainly fit with these horses," Lynch said. "He has a high cruising speed and he has gotten much bigger and stronger as a 3-year-old. He has the tactical speed to not be very far from the engine room, and hopefully he will be first to the wire."

While Classic Causeway earned 6 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" for his two graded-stakes efforts, Red Oak Stable's unbeaten (3-for-3) colt Make It Big gained 10 points on Dec. 17 by winning the Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma, his second stakes victory.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., said Jose Ortiz, Irad's brother, will again ride Make It Big.

"I talked it over a few weeks ago with Rick Sacco, the Racing Manager for Red Oak, and he recommended the (Sam F. Davis) would be a good choice for his 3-year-old debut," Joseph said. "We didn't expect the race to come up this tough, but I'm excited to see how he stacks up."

Joseph said Make It Big was forced to overcome adversity in the Springboard Mile. "He got in between horses and had to rate a bit, and then he got hooked late (by runner-up Osbourne) and had to out-battle him to the wire. It was a very professional performance," Joseph said.

"This horse has a good mind, and he has found a way to win each time. He probably needs to improve to win Saturday, but he has improved in each race, so hopefully he will follow suit."

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has entered three horses in the Sam F. Davis, including Grade III Grey Stakes winner God of Love, a supplementary entry after not being originals nominated. Casse's other runners are Golden Glider and Volcanic.

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Kentucky Derby Hopefuls Prep For Grade 3 Sam F. Davis

FEB 6 - Tampa Bay Downs joins the Triple Crown trail Saturday with the 42nd running of the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race for 3-year-olds competing at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main track.

A full field of 12 is expected for the Sam F. Davis, one of four dirt stakes on a Festival Preview Day card offering $550,000 in stakes purse money. Also scheduled are the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes, a "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" points race for 3-year-old fillies at a mile-and-40-yards; the $100,000 Pelican Stakes, a 6-furlong sprint for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000 Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward at 6 furlongs.

For the Sam F. Davis entrants, the race marks the first major test to determine if they are worthy of staying on the path to Louisville for the May 7 Run for the Roses. The Sam F. Davis awards points to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

The Sam F. Davis is also the main prep race for the Grade II, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby, one of five stakes races - four graded - on the track's March 12 Festival Day card. The Tampa Bay Derby awards 50 points to the winner on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby," with the next three finishers earning 20, 10 and 5 points.

Entries for Festival Preview Day will be taken Wednesday in the Tampa Bay Downs Racing Office.

Probables for the Sam F. Davis include Red Oak Stable's Florida-bred colt Make It Big, who was 3-for-3 as a 2-year-old for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Make It Big won the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 17 at Remington Park in his most recent start.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is expected to enter both Conrad Farms's colt Golden Glider and Breeze Easy LLC's colt Volcanic. Golden Glider won a mile-and-40-yard allowance/optional claiming race on Jan. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs to improve to 2-for-2, while Volcanic broke his maiden on Jan. 8 going a mile at Gulfstream Park.

Other Sam F. Davis probables include Albaugh Family Stables, LLC's colt Howling Time, a stakes winner from the barn of Dale Romans; the Brian Lynch-trained colt Classic Causeway, who finished third last year in the Grade I Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and second in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes; Kitten Mischief, from the barn of trainer Jonathan Thomas; two-time stakes winner Shipsational, trained by Edward R. Barker; and Trademark, a gelding who won his last two starts of 2021 at Churchill Downs, trained by Victoria Oliver.

Like the Sam F. Davis, the Suncoast Stakes awards qualifying points for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks for fillies on a 10-4-2-1 scale. The field for the Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters.

Among the Suncoast probables is the Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House-owned Nest, who won the Grade II Demoiselle Stakes on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct. She is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Also expected to try the Suncoast are the Mike Dini-owned and trained Florida-bred Alittleloveandluck, winner of the Ginger Brew Stakes on the turf on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream in her most recent start; Freedom Rose, from the barn of Michael Campbell; Peaceful Surprise, who broke her maiden here on Jan. 14 for trainer Christophe Clement; and trainer Alnaz Ali's Princess Elin.

2022 SAM F. DAVIS STAKES DRAWS 48 NOMINEES

JAN 30 - Rattle N Roll, who won the Grade I Claiborne Breeders' Futurity on Oct. 9 at Keeneland in his most recent start, and Make It Big, whose 3-for-3 record includes two stakes victories, head a list of 48 nominations for the 42nd renewal of the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds on the Feb. 12 Festival Preview Day card at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Sam F. Davis Stakes, contested at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main dirt track, is a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race, with the top four finishers receiving points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward qualifying for a spot in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 7.

The Sam F. Davis is also a precursor to the Grade II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12, a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race awarding 50, 20, 10 and 5 points to the first four finishers.

Three other stakes are scheduled on the Festival Preview Day card. They include the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, which is a "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" points race; the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes, for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

The list of Sam F. Davis nominations includes eight from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the race a record six times, most recently with Destin in 2016. Heading the list of Pletcher-trained candidates is Mo Donegal, who wo the Grade II Remsen Stakes on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct, and Emmanuel, who won today's sixth race.

Rattle N Roll, a Kentucky-bred colt owned by the Mackin family's Lucky Seven Stable and trained by Ken McPeek, won the mile-and-a-sixteenth Claiborne Breeders' Futurity by a widening 4 ¼ lengths under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. After targeting a start in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar, McPeek changed course after the horse developed a minor foot issue.

Rattle N Roll returned to the workout tab earlier this month at Gulfstream Park and breezed 3 furlongs Saturday in 35.67 seconds.

Make It Big, a Florida-bred colt owned by Red Oak Stable and trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., won the Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint Stakes on Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 17 at Remington Park in his last two starts. Jose Ortiz was aboard for the most recent victory.