Without even trying, trainer Kenny McPeek inherited Classic Causeway, getting the Kentucky Derby runner and two-time stakes winner from Brian Lynch’s barn. The Daily Racing Form reported that Kentucky West Racing and the Clarke M. Cooper Family Living Trust, which bred and owns Classic Causeway, moved him to McPeek’s barn. […]
Tag: Tampa Bay Derby
Classic Causeway Helps Tampa Bay Downs Pull Record Handle
With Tampa Bay Derby winner Classic Causeway sweeping his way into the Kentucky Derby Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs destroyed its previous single-day record for total handle. Saturday’s total handle of $20,778,222 blew away last year’s previous mark by more than $5.5 million and by 36%. On the rare day that […]
This Week on the Derby Trail Stops at the Tampa Bay Derby
As Kentucky Derby preps go, Saturday’s Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby doesn’t exactly provide the fast track to the Churchill Downs winner’s circle. You can get there from Tampa Bay Downs – if it was 2007 and you were Street Sense, that year’s Tampa Bay Derby winner. Or if you […]
Tampa Bay Derby, Azeri Cap This Week’s Cross Country Pick 5
Tampa Bay Downs’ marquee race, the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, headlines this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5. This week’s Cross Country Pick 5 encompasses races from Tampa Bay Downs, Aqueduct and Oaklawn Park. The Tampa Bay Derby is the fourth leg of the five-leg pick […]
Tampa Bay Derby Seeks a Sweet Path Out of Derby Prep Shadows
The Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby is one of those Kentucky Derby preps that often gets lost in the shuffle. Part of that is the giant shadow Tampa Bay Downs fights from its southern Florida neighbor, Gulfstream Park. Part of that is the fact only two horses emerged from the […]
Weekend Stakes: History at Santa Anita, Derby Preps on Both Coasts
This weekend’s stakes lineup features one of the most iconic races in American horse racing, the Santa Anita Handicap. But even that event, technically Santa Anita Park’s Saturday headliner, may get overshadowed on its own card by a Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep, the San Felipe Stakes. Featuring two of […]
With Precautions, Tampa Bay Downs Open to Fans for 2020-21 Meet
With new health plans in place, Tampa Bay Downs announced Wednesday it will admit spectators for its 2020-21 winter/spring meet that begins Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. This season is the track’s 95th-anniversary campaign. Headlining that campaign is the 41st Tampa Bay Derby, the track’s marquee event, and a […]
King Guillermo Heading in the Right Direction for Ex-MLB All-Star Victor Martinez
Perhaps it was the unfamiliarity of being outside his Florida home for the first time. Perhaps it was nerves at realizing he’d reached the big time. Or perhaps this was King Guillermo’s way of announcing his arrival at Oaklawn Park for Saturday’s Arkansas Derby. Whatever the reason, King Guillermo announced […]
Sole Volante, Chance It Renew Rivalry at Tampa Bay Derby
Up until last week, the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby looked to be the sole province of Sole Volante. The Sam F. Davis Stakes winner was more than a prohibitive favorite. He was the only horse anyone was talking about in the Kentucky Derby prep. That changed last week when […]
Chance It Riding Wave of Momentum into Tampa Bay Chasing Derby Points
The chance for a better post draw brought Chance It to town for Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby. And the chance of a lifetime brought trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. to the cusp of qualifying for the Kentucky Derby — something he’s angled for since arriving in the US from Barbados in […]