2026 Sam F. Davis Stakes Entries

Sam F. Davis Offers 20, 10, 6, 4 and 2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points

The 46th edition of the Sam F. Davis, a mile-and-a-sixteenth race on the main track, is a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race. The top five finishers will receive 20, 10, 6, 4 and 2 qualifying points toward securing a spot in the Run for the Roses starting gate on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Three-year-old colts trained by Todd Pletcher and Brad Cox, who have combined to win the Kentucky Derby three times, comprise one-third of a nine-horse field for Saturday's $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, one of four stakes races on Tampa Bay Downs's annual Festival Preview Day card.

The Sam F. Davis is also the major prep race for the Oldsmar oval's biggest race of the meet, the Grade III, $400,000 ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby, to be contested March 7.

Post time for the first race Saturday is 12:10 p.m. The Sam F. Davis is carded as the 11th and final race at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Pletcher has two Sam F. Davis entries in Renegade and Epic Desire, who will break from the Nos. 6 and 2 post positions, respectively, while Cox has entered Confessional, who will break from the inside No. 1 post.

The Sam F. Davis Stakes, was won by Cox and jockey Flavien Prat last year with John Hancock. Both Renegade and Confessional will be ridden by world-class jockeys, with Irad Ortiz, Jr., aboard Renegade and Prat on Confessional. Epic Desire's jockey will be Samy Camacho.

Prat has won the two most recent Eclipse Awards as North America's Outstanding Jockey, with Ortiz winning the two before that and five of the previous six.

Pletcher has won the Sam F. Davis a record seven times, including five times between 2010-2023 when the race was classified as a Grade III stakes. The conditioner's first two Sam F. Davis victories played a vital role in the race achieving Grade III status in 2009. Pletcher's first Sam F. Davis winner, Bluegrass Cat (2006), subsequently finished second in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes and won the Grade I Haskell Invitational.

The trainer's Sam F. Davis winner the following year, Any Given Saturday, was second in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby and won the Grade II Dwyer Stakes, the Grade I Haskell Invitational and the Grade II Brooklyn Handicap.

Pletcher's sixth Sam F. Davis winner, Destin (2016), also won that year's Grade II Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade II Marathon Stakes Presented by TAA and was second by a nose to Creator in the Belmont Stakes.

Although Renegade is a maiden (non-winner), he is held in high regard by respected handicappers. On Oct. 17, he won a 1-mile maiden special weight race at Belmont At The Big A but was disqualified and placed second behind Paladin for a bumping incident. In the Grade II Remsen Stakes on Dec. 6 at Aqueduct, Renegade took the lead briefly in the stretch before falling victim by 2 lengths to Paladin's late rally.

Confessional won his career debut on Oct. 16 at Keeneland, then finished second by 5 lengths to the Pletcher-trained Nearly on Jan. 2 in an allowance/optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park. Nearly won his next start, Saturday's Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, winning by 5 ¾ lengths to make Confessional's last performance better-looking.

The full field for the Sam F. Davis in post position is as follows: No. 1, Confessional, No. 2, Epic Desire; No. 3, The Puma; No. 4, Game For It; No. 5, Ocelli; No. 6, Renegade; No. 7, Wayne's Law; No. 8, Max Capacity; and No. 9, Dr. Kapur.

Also on Saturday's card, Pletcher appears to have a heavy favorite for the Suncoast Stakes in Zany, who posted a 2-for-2 mark as a 2-year-old. She will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. The Repole Stable-owned filly broke her maiden by 6 ½ lengths on Nov. 2 at Gulfstream, then went north to capture the Grade II Demoiselle Stakes on Dec. 6 at Aqueduct at the demanding mile-and-an-eighth distance. She won by 6 ½ lengths in a time of 1:50.55, .42 seconds faster than Paladin's Remsen time six races later.

PROMINENT STAKES WINNERS FROM TOP BARNS AMONG SAM F. DAVIS NOMS

Jan 28 - Paladin, who won the Grade II Remsen Stakes on Dec. 6 at Aqueduct; Incredibolt, the winner of the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes on Oct. 26 at Churchill Downs; and Zany, a daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah who won the Grade II Demoiselle Stakes on Dec. 6 at Aqueduct, head a list of 45 3-year-olds nominated to the 46h running of the $250,000, mile-and-a-sixteenth Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds, which will be contested Saturday, Februray 7 at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Sam F. Davis is the showcase of the track's Festival Preview Day card, which includes four stakes races worth a combined $625,000 in purse money. The race is a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" qualifying race, offering 20, 10, 6, 4 and 2 points to the top five finishers toward qualifying for a spot in the Run for the Roses on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

The other stakes on the card are the 46th edition of the $125,000 Suncoast Stakes, a mile-and-40-yard race for 3-year-old fillies that is a "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" qualifying race; the 45th running of the $125,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward; and the 42nd edition of the $125,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes for horses 4-years-old-and-upward.

Trainer Brad Cox, who won last year's Sam F. Davis Stakes with John Hancock, has nominated 10 colts to next week's race. Cox's nominees include stakes winner Commandment and the highly regarded Cannoneer.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Sam F. Davis Stakes a record seven times, has seven nominees including Zany, who is also nominated for the Suncoast Stakes. Pletcher trained Rags to Riches to a Belmont Stakes victory against males in 2007 (five weeks after she won the Kentucky Oaks for fillies), so it will be fascinating to see which race Zany competes in if she comes to Tampa Bay Downs.

Zany won the Demoiselle by 8 ½ lengths to improve her record to 2-for-2.

Paladin is the lone Sam F. Davis Stakes nominee from the barn of Chad Brown, who has yet to win the Sam F. Davis but captured his first Tampa Bay Derby trophy in 2024 with Domestic Product.

Riley Mott, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, is the trainer of Incredibolt. Bill Mott won the Sam F. Davis in 2021 with Candy Man Rocket.

The Sam F. Davis is the main prep race for the Grade III, $400,000 ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby on March 7.

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