Last year, Crystal Quest and Forever Souper won stakes races about an hour apart on the Florida Cup Day card at Tampa Bay Downs.
On Sunday, the two older males ran in the same race on Florida Cup Day with Crystal Quest, a 14-1 shot, upsetting his odds-on favored stablemate Forever Souper by three-quarters of a length in the $110,000 Turf Classic.
The Turf Classic was one of six stakes, each worth $110,000, held Sunday at Tampa on the 22nd annual Florida Cup Day card. Last year Forever Souper won the Turf Classic, one of five stakes wins for him on the year. Crystal Quest won the Sophomore Stakes, a race restricted to 3-year-olds.
Michael Trombetta, who trains both horses for Live Oak Plantation, had Crystal Quest entered in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. Trombetta scratched him from that spot when he drew post 12.
“The outside post is always hard and it’s especially hard down there,” Trombetta said. “I feel like I have no chance when I draw the outside there.”
Crystal Quest, who broke from the rail under Samuel Marin in the Turf Classic, was sixth down the backside right behind Forever Souper, who was fifth under Paco Lopez.
Forever Souper made the lead turning for home, but Crystal Quest was guided off the fence by Marin and he passed Forever Souper late for the victory. Echo Lane finished third, followed by Street Earnings, the latter also owned by Live Oak but trained by Mark Casse.
“We always liked this horse,” Trombetta said. “Last year he was only a 3-year-old, you always worry how is he going to transition as a 4-year-old. He’s run on that turf course twice and he’s won twice.
“I was surprised he was good enough to get past that other horse, I really am,” Trombetta said.
So was the public as Crystal Quest returned $30 after running 1 1/8 miles in a posted time of 1:46.50, which, if accurate, was .24 off of Tepin’s course record.
In other stakes on the card:
*** Favored Mohawk Trail rallied from next-to-last under Adam Beschizza to win the Distaff Turf by three-quarters of a length over Lady Cha Cha.
Mohawk Trail, second in the Distaff Turf last year at Tampa, won for the second straight time and sixth from 18 starts. She is a 5-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, owned by NBS Stable and trained by Kelsey Danner.
Mohawk Trail covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.73 and returned $6.40 as the favorite.
*** Tank capped a two-win day for trainer Carlos David by turning aside Good Long Cry, the lone filly in the field, and drawing away to win the Sophomore Turf by two lengths. Win With Faith got second by 1 3/4 lengths over Good Long Cry.
Under Luis Saez, Tank stalked the pace from second, was able to put away Good Long Cry when that one came calling and was never really threatened by Win With Faith.
“He is big and he is a tank,” David said in a post-race interview broadcast on America’s Day at the Races. “I told Luis any time I tried to rate him I always get in trouble. He’s got speed, just try to get the lead if you can, if not sit second.”
Tank, a 3-year-old son of Adios Charlie owned and bred by Arindel Farm, covered the 1 1/16-miles in 1:41.45 and returned $11.20 to win.
Earlier on the card, David and Saez teamed up to win the Sophomore Fillies, a seven-furlong dirt stakes, with Win N Your In, who cruised to a front-running, seven-length victory over favored Bella Cleopatra.
Win N Your In, by Win Win Win and owned by Troy Johnson and Martiza Weston, covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.23 and returned $8.
*** Saez won three stakes on the card as he guided Hurricane Nelson ($8) to a 2 1/2-length front-running victory in the NYRABets Sprint for older male sprinters.
Hurricane Nelson, a 4-year-old son of Khozan owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and trained by Christophe Clement, ran six furlongs in 1:09.11.
Cajun Gem was pulled up around the far turn by jockey Marcos Meneses, was assisted onto the equine ambulance and vanned off.
*** Heavily favored Macho Music ($2.80), coming out of a runner-up finish in the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park last out, rolled to a front-running, 11 1/4-length win in the $100,000 Sophomore Stakes for 3-year-old male sprinters.
Under Javier Castellano, Macho Music shot to the front, shed some pressure from P Four after a half-mile in 44.70 seconds and kept on going, cruising to the easy score. P Four held second by a neck over Cajun Venom.
Macho Music, a son of Maclean’s Music trained by Rohan Crichton owned in part by Crichton, Mark Fletcher, Taylor and Daniel Walters, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.30.
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