By David Grening, Daily Racing Form
Last month, trainer Todd Pletcher won a record-extending eighth Sam F. Davis Stakes with the maiden Renegade. Saturday, Pletcher will try to win a record-extending seventh Tampa Bay Derby with the maiden Powershift.
Powershift, narrowly beaten by Emerging Market on debut in a swiftly rated mile-and-40-yard maiden race at Tampa on Feb. 7, is one of at least eight 3-year-olds scheduled to be entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby. Further Ado, winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last November, is the only member of the expected field to have won a stakes.
Three hours before Renegade won the Sam Davis, Powershift dueled with fellow first-time starter Emerging Market from the five-sixteenths pole to the wire, ultimately falling three-quarters of a length short while finishing 13 1/2 lengths clear of the third-place finisher. Powershift earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance, which will be second only to the 98 Further Ado earned winning a maiden race by 20 lengths last October at Keeneland.
“He didn’t cross the finish line first, but it was the kind of race good enough probably to win 999 out of 1,000 maidens at Tampa,” Pletcher said. “We thought if that went well, [the Tampa Bay Derby] is what we might do, so right now we’re sticking to the plan.”
The Tampa Bay Derby offers its top five finishers qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) to the May 2 Kentucky Derby. Pletcher is compiling a healthy roster of Derby aspirants that currently includes Class President, Renegade, and Nearly. Renegade, who won the Sam Davis, is targeting the Arkansas Derby on March 28 for his final prep.
Emerging Market, trained by Chad Brown, is pointing to the Louisiana Derby on March 21 for his next race. Brown will be represented in the Tampa Bay Derby by Canaletto, an eight-length debut winner at Gulfstream on Jan. 25.
Entries for the Tampa Bay Derby will be taken Wednesday. Others expected to enter include Hulkamania, Redland Rebels, Talkin, The Puma, and Roger That Dana.
