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By Ed McNamara
Horse racing betting slip.
Basic Causeway bolted to the lead out of the gate, and earlier than the 8-5 favourite reached the flip, he had firm on his outdoors. Little Vic, a 13-1 shot, utilized stress instantly, and the 2 went head and head down the backstretch. The fractions had been fast — 22.66 seconds for a quarter-mile, 46.67 to the half — and most observers figured the tempo would set it up for a more in-depth. Not so.
Getting into the stretch, Little Vic cracked, Irad Ortiz Jr. requested Basic Causeway to run, and inside just a few strides the Sam F. Davis Stakes was over. Basic Causeway drew off by 3 3/4 lengths from late-running Shipsational at Tampa Bay Downs, and the way in which he received made you assume he has a future on the Triple Crown path.
“It was an incredible effort,” coach Brian Lynch stated. “He confirmed up at present. We at all times hoped he was of this high quality, and within the first begin of his 3-year-old 12 months he took the step he wanted to maintain the dream alive.”
The sector that Basic Causeway routed wasn’t excellent, and neither is the group he’s dealing with Saturday within the Tampa Bay Derby at 1 1/16 miles, the identical distance because the Sam F. Davis. Shipsational returns, and new shooter Main Common is a 2-for-2 stakes winner round two turns for Todd Pletcher. I can’t suggest any of the others.
I feel Basic Causeway will carry out an encore. If he does, he’ll decide up 50 Derby qualifying factors and should be taken significantly as a contender for the Could 7 traditional.
A 5-furlong breeze in 59.80 seconds at Palm Meadows ought to have him on edge.
$400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2), 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds
The Tampa Bay Derby is the ultimate leg of a Decide 3 that begins with wide-open grass races. I’m going to single Basic Causeway (4) and unfold throughout within the turf occasions. Sadly, the prolonged forecast requires a 95% likelihood of rain. Let’s hope they’re not switched to the primary monitor.
$200,000 Florida Oaks (G3), 1 1/16 miles, turf, 3-year-old fillies
I’m utilizing six of the 9 runners and rooting for a longshot to come back in. Spicer (6) and French import Dolce Zel (3) are available in off layoffs for Chad Brown, who’s an insane 14-for-31 (45%) this 12 months at Tampa Bay Downs. The Ortiz brothers are using, with Irad on Dolce Zel and Jose on Spicer. I received’t threat leaving both out as a result of I’ve been burned doing that.
Mrs. Barbara (1) is 0-for-3 on grass however ran OK twice towards strong competitors. A pair of two-turn wins on artificial at Woodbine make me assume she might be a risk in her first two-turn grass race. Alittleloveandluck (7) received an ungraded turf stakes at Gulfstream and ran second on grime final time to the gifted Nest. Ambitieuse (9) was second to turf-stakes winner Opalina. Shug McGaughey’s On Alert (8) is a robust nearer who’s enhancing.
$75,000 Columbia Stakes, mile, turf, 3-year-olds
I’ll go 5 deep in one other grass scramble.
Ben’s Malice (1) makes his stakes debut after two wins and two seconds in 4 turf tries. Wake Surf (2), by sizzling younger grass sire Basic Empire, is 1-for-3 on turf and eligible to enhance. Heaven Avenue (5) is fast early and 2-for-2 on the distance on turf for Christophe Clement. Fort Washington (6) appeared good coming off the tempo in his solely two begins, each on grass, for McGaughey. Gingrich (8) is simply 1-for-5 on grass however ran effectively twice on rain-softened floor, which he might get. His solely weak race was his debut at 5 1/2 furlongs.
Listed below are the numbers for the decide 3, which can price you $30 on a $1 base guess: 1,3,6,7,8,9 with 1,2,5,6,8 with 4.
And good luck as a result of we’ll want it.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about thoroughbred racing for 35 years. He has handicapped races for ESPN.com, Newsday and The Report of New Jersey. He’s the creator of “Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown” and co-author of “The Most Wonderful Crown,” a chronicle of the primary 12 Triple Crown champions.
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