Samuel Marin stood in the Aqueduct winner’s circle following his victory on Throckmorton in the Awad Stakes on Nov. 9 and was asked about whether he gave consideration to riding in New York this winter.
“I love it here, it’s a dream to be here, but our plan is when Tampa opens, to be there,” Marin said.
Tampa Bay Downs opens on Wednesday, and Marin will be front and center as he tries to defend the riding title he won a year ago. Marin rode 116 winners at the 2024-25 Tampa meet, ending Samy Camacho’s four-year run as leading rider at the Oldsmar, Fla., track, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in February.
“It meant a lot for us to do what we did,” said Marin, 24. “Samy had been the leading rider for a while. I got Mike Moran as an agent. We started picking it up. I always thought I could do it. I just had to work a little harder and it worked out for me.”
Marin carried the momentum of his Tampa title to Monmouth Park, where he won 66 races – including nine stakes – finishing second in the standings to Paco Lopez. Marin rode for a few days in New York, highlighted by his victory in the Awad Stakes. Marin said riders like Junior Alvarado and Javier Castellano have given him guidance along the way.
“Riding here with these great riders, you get to learn a lot,” Marin said. “I’m so blessed to be able to be advised from them.”
Marin should get a head start in his bid for a second consecutive Tampa title. His main rival, Camacho – who shares Moran as his agent – has to miss the first eight days of the meet due to a careless riding incident from April 18 at Tampa. Camacho is eligible to return Dec. 10.
Marin is named to ride all nine races on Wednesday’s opening-day card. He has two mounts for Kathleen O’Connell, the leading trainer at last year’s meet with 53 wins. Marin teams up with O’Connell in the third, an $8,000 claiming race, with Fit to Fire, who has not been out since winning a $16,000 maiden-claiming race with Marin aboard on April 30. He also rides Attending for O’Connell in the fifth, a $16,000 claiming race.
In the seventh race, a second-level allowance with a $32,000 claiming option going a mile on turf, Marin rides Princess Bettina, who makes her first start for trainer Jose D’Angelo. Princess Bettina comes out of a third-place finish in a Kentucky Downs allowance won by Fancy Caber Neigh, who was winning her third consecutive race. Ready to Jam, who finished second in that Kentucky Downs race, came back to win the Autumn Days Stakes at Aqueduct.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. sends out morning-line favorite Silver Moonlight, who came off a layoff to win a first-level allowance at Gulfstream Park on Oct. 4, while Rugelach makes her first start for Sam Wilensky after racing in Southern California this summer.
There will be 90 programs of racing spread out over 24 weeks from Wednesday through May 3. Following Wednesday’s card, there will be racing on Saturday. There will be a trio of three-day weeks – Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays – from Nov. 26 to Dec. 13. Beginning the week of Dec. 17, Sundays will be added to the schedule, making for a four-day race week through the end of the meet. The only exception is the track will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 5.
There will be 24 stakes worth $3.535 million offered at the meet. In many cases, 20 percent of the listed stakes purse will only be available to Florida-breds.
:: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!
There are exceptions, most notably the two major races for 3-year-olds that offer qualifying points toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby. The listed $250,000 Sam F. Davis anchors a four-stakes program on Feb. 7 that includes the $125,000 Suncoast Stakes for Kentucky Oaks hopefuls.
The Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby, another Kentucky Derby points-scoring race, highlights a five-stakes March 7 card that includes the Grade 2, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes for 4-year-old females on turf and the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on turf.
The turf racing at Tampa is typically strong, with high-profile outfits who base in South Florida for the winter frequently shipping cross-state. Trainer Chad Brown won 26 races from 88 starters – 21 of those wins coming on turf – last meet at Tampa.
“I like the course. My horses can get their toes in the ground better over that turf,” said Brown, who added that “some horses benefit from an easier, less-stressful debut than other horses.”
Brown said he also likes Tampa’s course for some horses returning from an extended layoff. As far as the dirt goes, Brown won the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby with Domestic Product and ran two-three in it this year with Chancer McPatrick and Hill Road.
Tampa Bay Downs, for the first time, will employ drone technology to provide aerial views of the races. Tampa is introducing a takeout rate of 10 percent on all show wagers made ontrack. The takeout will remain at 17 percent for offtrack show wagers.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.