Take Charge Indy scratched from the Tampa Bay Derby lineup
The second choice for the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby, Take Charge Indy, has been withdrawn from the 10 March race at Tampa Bay Downs, confirmed trainer Pat Byrne.
Pat Byrne doesn’t like the idea of sending his 3-year-old colt to Tampa Bay Downs for the derby, and instead he wants to keep him at the Palm Meadows Training Center and go for the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby on 31 March, 2012.
“We just decided we’re not going to go up to Tampa to come out of the 10 hole over a track he’s never been on before,” Byrne told DRF. “We’ll just keep him here and shoot for the Florida Derby now. We already know he likes that racetrack at Gulfstream, and
he’s been training well at Palm Meadows
The full field of 12 in the 1 1/16 mile test on dirt will be reduced to 11 runners, as Battle Hardened going into the race as the favourite. Todd Pletcher trained Spring Hill Farm will now move up as the second favourite, while Prospective finishing second
in the Sam F. Davis Stakes to Battle Hardened will be considered as the third choice to win the Tampa Bay Derby.
The Kentucky bred son of A. P. Indy, out of mare Take Charge Lady by Dehere, Take Charge Indy has a single maiden win to show out of his 5 race career. The colt started his career at Arlington Park, and ran his second race over the same venue in the Grade
3 Arlington-Washington Futurity, where he finished a solid second to winner Shared Property over a distance of 1 mile.
In his 2012 seasonal debut, Take Charge Indy was pointed toward the 1 1/16 mile allowance/optional claimer at Gulfstream Park, and again there he finished a strong second to winner, El Padrino on the day, who covered the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1 minute
and 42.68 seconds.
Spring Hill Farm is also exiting a victory in the Gulfstream Park’s allowance/optional claimer, and has a good chance of repeating his performance in the Tampa Bay Derby, and might give Battle Hardened a run for his money
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