Penelope P. Miller
Tampa Bay Downs

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Nominations for March 13’s Festival Day have drawn 117 horses for the four stake card that includes The Grade III $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby for three-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the main track, the Grade III $175,000 Florida Oaks for fillies three years old competing 1 1/16 miles, the Grade III $175,000 Hillsborough Stakes for older females running about 1 1/8 miles on the lawn, and the $75,000 Turf Dash for three-year-olds and up traveling about 5 furlongs on the turf. 

Nationally recognized horses such as Street Sense, Sun King, Dreaming of Anna, Any Given Saturday, Bluegrass Cat, Cotton Blossom, Limehouse, Bushfire and Musket Man are among previous years’ Festival Day alumni.  Among the nominees this year are 23 stakes winners and 21 Graded or Group stakes winners.

The 30th running of the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby has attracted 32 nominations; among them are nine stakes winners and six graded stakes winners. Headlining the nominations for the Tampa Bay Derby is Rule, who has won his previous four starts, including his most recent victory in the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes here.  The three-year-old Roman Ruler colt is under the care of trainer Todd Pletcher and carries the colors of breeder WinStar Farm; he has accrued over $700,000 in his six journeys postward.

Joining Rule in the nominees for the Tampa Bay Derby is Noble’s Promise, who was most recently the second-place finisher in the Grade I Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park. The Cuvee colt has banked $733,500 in his six race career and is conditioned by Kenneth McPeek for owner Chasing Dreams Racing 2008, LLC. Caracortado is undefeated in his five starts for trainer Michael Machowsky and owners Blahut Racing, LLC and Lo Hi Racing. The son of Cat Dream was most recently the victor in the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes on February 13, 2010 at Santa Anita, and would make his first start on conventional dirt if he opts to start in the Tampa Bay Derby.

The Grade III Florida Oaks has attracted nominations from 24 three-year-old fillies; among them are eight stakes winners and four Graded stakes winners. The nominations include She Be Wild, winner of the $2 million Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Wayne Catalano trainee has finished in the money in five of her lifetime starts for owner Nancy Mazzoni; two of her four victories have come in Graded company.

Also nominated to the Grade III Florida Oaks is Diva Delite, who has won seven of her 14 attempts and has finished out of the money only once in her life.  Diva Delite, who is owned by Barbara Vivian and Dominic Vittese and trained by David Vivian, won both the Gasparilla Stakes here in January and the Suncoast Stakes on February 13’s Festival Preview Day.  Ailalea, who captured the Grade III Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct in November, scored both of her two career victories in races over a mile for owner Starlight Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher. 

The Grade III Hillsborough Stakes has 32 nominees; of them 16 are stakes winners, eight of whom have won Graded races. Highlighting the Hillsborough hopefuls is Mushka, who was runner-up in the 2009 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic for owner Brushwood Stable and trainer William I. Mott. The five-year-old Empire Maker mare has banked over $1 million in her 18 career starts, and is a specialist at running about 1 1/16 miles, having finished in the money in seven of ten attempts at the distance.

Joining Mushka in the list of nominees is Tottie (GB), who won Gulfstream’s Grade III Sewanee River Stakes on February 6. She is undefeated in her 2010 season, having won both of her of her starts over American turf for owner J. H. Richmond-Watson and conditioner Chad C. Brown.  Tight Precision, a Pure Precision mare under the care of Tom Proctor for owner E. J. Sukley, won the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf in her last outing. She clocked a bullet work over the Tampa Bay Downs surface on February 27 and has finished in the money in 10 of her 14 lifetime starts.

The $75,000 Turf Dash, a test for four-year-olds and up going about five furlongs on the lawn, has drawn 29 nominations, including 11 stakes winners and three Graded stakes winners. Among them is Musket Man, an interesting nominee as the four-year-old Yonaguska colt has competed in main track tests for the entirety of his nine race career. The Derek Ryan trainee has carried the colors of owners Eric Fein and Vic Carlson to three stakes wins (including last year’s Tampa Bay Derby, the Grade II Illinois Derby and the Super Stakes here on February 6, 2010.) Musket Man is best known for his third-place finishes in both the Grade I Kentucky Derby and the Grade I Preakness Stakes in his three-year-old season.

Also included in the list of Turf Dash nominees is Castles in the Sky, who won last year’s edition of this race. The seven-year-old Sky Classic gelding, who is owned by Jagger, Inc. and trained by Jamie Ness, has never finished out of the money over the Tampa turf course, and has finished in the money in eight of nine attempts at the five furlong distance. Canadian Ballet, a five-year-old City Zip mare, owned by Obviously NY Stable and trained by Linda Rice, has bankrolled over $500,000 in her 17 race career. In her last ten starts, Canadian Ballet has competed exclusively in stakes company, finishing in the money in seven of those attempts.

To view full Festival Day stakes nominations and past performances, please visit: http://www.tampabaydowns.com/Racing/HorsemenInformation/StakesNomsandPPs.aspx

Finish Lines… Trainer Max Ubide and owner Nina Ubide teamed up for two wins on Sunday’s card; the duo took their first trip to the Winner’s Circle with Nina’s Gift, a six-year-old Victory Gallop mare booted home by Ronnie Allen, Jr. The Ubides got another win on the card in the afternoon’s sundowner with Astoria Meadow, a five-year-old Five Star Day mare piloted home by Wilmer Galviz.