OLDSMAR, Fla. – Since an inside stretch rally in the Sam Davis Stakes last month didn’t work out well for The Puma, who finished third in that race, his connections were pretty happy when their maiden drew an outside post for Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby.
Even if it meant losing ground from post 8 in the nine-horse field, the instructions to jockey Javier Castellano were to keep the horse outside and out of traffic.
“We told Javier we got a good post this time, just keep him on the outside and do your thing, if we get beat for whatever reason, just give the horse a fair shot in the race and that’s basically what he did,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant to his father.
Despite being four-to-five wide all the way around, The Puma finished fastest of all to win the Tampa Bay Derby by three-quarters of a length and go from maiden to Grade 3 stakes winner and Kentucky Derby qualifier. Further Ado, who raced between horses under Irad Ortiz Jr., got second by a head over race favorite Canaletto.
Redland Rebels, who set the pace over a rain-moistened track that was still labeled fast but was probably good, finished fourth. He was followed by Talkin, Powershift, Thunder Buck, Hulkamania, and Roger That Dana.
The Puma earned 50 qualifying points to the May 2 Kentucky Derby and he now has 56 which figures to be more than enough to get into the gate. The Delgados, Castellano, and some of these same owners won the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage.
“Derby points are what we wanted,” Delgado Jr. said. “From the beginning, even before we run first time, I was telling everyone ‘This is our Derby horse, this is our Derby horse.’ “
Randy Guy was a partner in Mage as part of CMNWLTH Racing. He and others, including Joe Noble, formed their own racing entity, High Step Racing, and are part-owners of The Puma.
“We’re newbies, we don’t know a whole lot about anything,” Guy said. “We’re learning real fast that you can have a lot of highs and a lot of lows real quick, but a day like today makes it worth all the stuff.”
The Puma, a son of Essential Quality, finished second to Chief Wallabee in a seven-furlong maiden race on Jan. 10 at Gulfstream. Chief Wallabee came back to finish second in last week’s Fountain of Youth. The Puma ran in the Sam Davis on Feb. 7 and was beaten six lengths by the maiden Renegade. He did have some traffic in the stretch, otherwise, Delgado, felt he could have been second. It was that effort that led him to come back here for the Tampa Bay Derby.
Four horses, Redland Rebels, Talkin, Further Ado, and Canaletto, the latter breaking from post 9, went together into the first turn. Castellano had The Puma last but was following Canaletto.
Redland Rebels, under Junior Alvarado, ran a half-mile in 46.68 seconds, pressed by Talkin with Further Ado a length back and three wide. Canaletto, the 3-2 favorite off a dominant maiden win at Gulfstream, was three-to-four wide in the second flight with The Puma following him.
Around the far turn, Further Ado, Canaletto and The Puma each moved after Redland Rebels. They were four across the track as they came to the eighth pole, but the Puma was going better at the end, seemingly brushing some with Canaletto.
The Puma, whose owners also include OMGA Investments and JR Ranch Racing, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.23 and returned $16.80 to win.
The Puma will return to Gulfstream Park where he is based and discussions will take place before a decision is made on where he runs next, Delgado said.
Further Ado, making his first start since he won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club last November, attended a fast early pace, and ran with the outside horses from the five-sixteenths pole to the wire in what his connections viewed as a positive effort. He earned 25 Derby points which give him 35, meaning he probably needs more to assure a spot in the gate come May 2.
“He got a good trip,” trainer Brad Cox said. “When you’re running off a layoff and you’re sitting that close to an honest enough pace, I wouldn’t use the word tired, I’d say they jumped on him a little bit, he never really got a shot to let his guard down, he was running the whole way. Positive effort. As long as he comes out of it in good order, he should get a lot out of if it.”
Cox said the Blue Grass on April 4 at Keeneland will be considered.
Prat tried to use Canaletto’s gate speed to get over from his outside draw, but he was stuck four wide and never got a chance to save any ground. Prat said he was pleasantly surprised that Canaletto kept fighting to the wire.
“Couldn’t get over and he was looking at horses inside,” Prat said. “They went fast and I was kind of in deep water from the get-go. Then he made a run surprisingly. I thought he was going to stop at the three-eighths pole and he was brave enough to make a run but I never felt like I was traveling well.”
Super Saver, third in the 2010 Tampa Bay Derby, is the last horse to come out of this race and win the Kentucky Derby. Street Sense (2007) is the last Tampa Bay Derby winner to come back and win the Kentucky Derby.
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