Battle Hardened expected to sweep past his Tampa Bay Derby opponents at Tampa Bay Downs
Another race that drew a full field of 12 Derby contenders is the Tampa Bay Derby held at Tampa Bay Downs over the venue’s dirt course, going over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on 10 March, 2012.
The Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes winner, Battle Hardened, at Tampa Bay Downs in his seasonal debut destroyed the lineup with his eye-catching run in the stakes race, defeating Prospective in second and Reveron in third, while he covered the 1 1/16 mile distance
in 1 minute and 44.58 seconds.
Based on his impressive win at Tampa Bay Downs on 4 February, 2012, the Kentucky bred son of Giant’s Causeway, out of mare Jen’s Fashion by Northern Fashion, Battle Hardened is sent at 3 to 1 for the Tampa Bay Derby, as the 3-year-old colt will break from
post number 7 under jockey Julien Leparoux for trainer Eddie Kenneally.
Another colt with the same odds of 3 to 1 is the Patrick Byrne trained son of A. P. Indy, Take Charge Indy. Out of mare Take Charge Lady by Dehere, the Kentucky bred after a troubled ride in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to winner Hansen, and despite
a difficult ride managed to finish fifth.
He went for his seasonal debut at Gulfstream Park in an allowance/optional claimer over a distance of 1 1/16 miles and finished a strong second to the rampant colt, El Padrino.
Todd Pletcher will be well represented in the Tampa Bay Derby, as the veteran trainer will send out his top 3-year-old, Spring Hill Farm, who is undefeated in two starts so far.
George Bolton’s 3-year-old colt is a Virginia bred son of Smart Strike, out of mare Colonial Minstrel by Pleasant Colony, broke his maiden at first asking at about seven furlongs and then immediately won an allowance/optional claimer, stretched out in distance
to 1 mile on 11 February, 2012, as both starts came over the Gulfstream Park’s dirt course.
The colt will break from post number nine, coupled with jockey John Velazquez. Prospective sent at 7 to 1 will look to bounce back from his runner up finish in the Sam F. Davis, and take revenge on the race favourite Battle Hardened, when he breaks from
post number 1 with L. Contreras.
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