ftboa.com • Saturday & Sunday • February 6 & 7, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Sole Volante Returns to Repeat Festival Preview Day Victory Victory Kingdom Seeks to Rule in Ladies Turf Sprint Flagstaff Favored in King Cotton Masteroffoxhounds, Acclimate Prominent in Sam Marcos Thoroughbred, Steeplechase Jockey Hobales Passes Away Champion Essential Quality Tops 326 Triple Crown Nominees Nova Rags/SV PHOTOGRAPHY Moonlight d’Oro Rates Top Billing Mott, Pletcher Each Bring in Las Virgenes Gulfstream Park & Tampa Bay Charts Solid Pair to Sam F. Davis Florida Stallion Progeny List Florida-bred Boca Boy Also Shoots for $50k Win Bonus Florida Breeders’ List Wire to Wire Business Place BY BROCK SHERIDAN _____________ awards “Road to the Kentucky Derby” qualifying points to the first four finishers OLDSMAR, FL. – Nova Rags, who won on a 10-4-2-1 scale, and has drawn an the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on overflow field of 13 3-year-olds, with Featured Advertisers Jan. 16, and Candy Man Rocket, a runaway maiden Tiz Tact Toe on the also-eligible winner of a maiden special weight sprint list. Big Lick LLC on Jan. 9 at Gulfstream, give Hall of Fame The $250,000 purse includes a $50,000 Florida Department of Agriculture trainer Bill Mott a formidable pair of con- win bonus for Florida-breds presented by FTBOA tenders in Saturday’s $250,000 Sam F. the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Journeyman Stud Davis Stakes (Grade 3), the main event of Owners’ Association of which Kenneth E. Festival Preview Day 41 Presented by Fishbein’s Boca Boy is eligible Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Lambholm South at Tampa Bay Downs. Nova Rags is two-for-three lifetime Ocala Stud The 41st running of the mile-and-a-six- Seminole Feed teenth Sam F. Davis on the main track, See SAM F. DAVIS on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Sam F. Davis Continued from COVER with earnings of $70,650 to his credit with his other victory com- ing in his first career start when he won a maiden special weight by three-quarters of a length going six furlongs at Belmont Park on Oct. 10. In his only other start, he finished fourth in the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes won by Pickin’ Time going a mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 8 before his two-and-three-quarters-length victory in the seven furlong Pasco. By Union Rags out of Wishful Splendor, by Smart Strike, Nova Rags will race in the colors of owner Michael P. Shanley, for whom he has earned $70,850. Listed at 4-1 in the morning line, Nova Rags is set to break from post eight with Samy Camacho in the irons. Candy Man Rocket, who is a 10-1 outsider in the morning line, will break from the stall to the imme- diate right of Nova Rags in post nine with Junior Alvarado. Smiley Sobotka/COADY PHOTO His nine-and-a-half-length romp at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 9 over six furlongs was only his second career start after finishing a disappointing seventh against special weight maidens at six-and- a-half furlongs on a sloppy and sealed track at Churchill Downs on Nov. 22. Candy Man Rocket is owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc., and Junior Alvarado will be aboard the dark bay or brown colt by Candy Ride (Arg) out of Kenny Lane, by Forestry for the first time. Candy Man Rocket was purchased by Fletcher last year at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale held in June for $250,000 where he was consigned by Scott Kintz in the name of his Six K’s See SAM F. DAVIS on page 5 New Stallions Standing in Florida Click to View Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Sam F. Davis page 3 Continued from Training and Sales LLC. While Mott will be looking for his first win in the Sam F. Davis, Pletcher has hopes of getting his seventh victory in the race. He won his first two editions in 2006-07 with Bluegrass Cat and Any Given Saturday respectively before adding Davis trophies with Rule (2010); Brethren (2011), who is currently a successful stallion at Arindel in Ocala, Fla.; Vinceremos (2014) and Destin (2016). This year Pletcher comes armed with Known Agenda for St. Elias Stables LLC and Millean for Donegal Racing. Known Agenda is 6-1 in the morning line while Millean is 12-1 and they too will break next to each other from posts three and four respectively. Known Agenda exits a third-place finish in Brooklyn Strong’s Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct on Dec. 5 which was run over a sloppy mile-and-one-eighth. Saturday, he will be looking to add to the two Kentucky Derby qualifying points he earned that day which cur- rently has him tied with eight others ranked at 23rd on the leaderboard. A son of Curlin out of Byrama (GB), by Bryon (GB), Known Agenda broke his maiden in his second start with a head victory in special weight company at Florida-bred Boca Boy/RYAN THOMPSON PHOTO Aqueduct going a mile-and-an-eighth on Nov. 8. Known Agenda will be ridden by John Velazquez. Stash, a winner of two straight coming into the Sam F. Davis Millean will be taking a big step up in class after winning by including a half-length victory in a first-level, $75,000 allowance three-parts of a length in his third career start against $50,000 optional claiming race on Nov. 28 in his last start for trainer maiden claimers going a mile at Gulfstream on Jan. 10. Victoria Oliver; Joe Man Joe trained by David Fisher, the George By Blame out of Not Be Forgotten, by Tale of the Cat, Millean “Rusty” Arnold II-trained Runway Magic, who was third in the will have the riding services of Roberto Albarado Jr. $75,000 Limehouse Stakes won by Drain the Clock on Jan. 2 in Trainer Dale Romans will saddle the program favorite in his last start; Ricochet for trainer Kelsey Danner; Lucky Law for Smiley Sobotka, who is 3-1 in the morning line. Patrick Bioncone, who trained last year’s Sam F. Davis-winner The son of Brody’s Cause out of the Mineshaft mare Dance Sole Volante; and Last Investment for trainer Robert B. Hess Jr., Thewayyouare makes the first start of his sophomore year in the who also has Tiz Tact Toe on the also eligible list. Sam F. Davis after winning one of three starts last year with two seconds. He was a runner-up to Meister in his first career race – portions of this story were taken from a Tampa Bay Downs against special weight company on Aug. 30 going six-and-a-half press release furlongs at Ellis Park before winning a maiden special weight by two lengths going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Keeneland on Oct. 4. He finished the year with a second to Keepmeinmind in the Grade FTBOA Maintains Office Building 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28. Drop Box For Official Business Smiley Sobotka is owned by Albaugh Family Stables LLC, who purchased him for $185,000 as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton While the FTBOA offices remain closed to visitors and mem- August. He will be ridden from post five by Daniel Centeno. bers doing business as a precaution due to the Coronavirus pan- Florida-bred Boca Boy also makes his first start of the year for demic, be advised that all services provided by the Association trainer Cheryl Winebaugh after finishing 2020 with a two-length and its related companies remain on going. win in the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes In Reality going Most business can be conducted via mail, email or telephone a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 26. That was and a drop box has been installed near our side entrance of the his third try in stakes competition last year having also finished FTBOA building at 801 SW 60th Avenue, Ocala, Fla. for mem- third to Breeze on By on the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes bers to use when dropping off Dr. Fager at six furlongs at Gulfstream on Aug. 1 and second to time-sensitive documents. Hot Blooded in the $75,000 Proud Man Stakes going a mile on Forms may be found at this lo- grass at Gulfstream on Aug. 29. cation or on our website at Boca Boy is by Prospective out of Ballwink, by Gimmeawink www.ftboa.com. and was bred by the late Carol Hershe. Please call us at 352-629- He is 5-1 in the morning line and will be ridden by Antonio 2160 if you have any questions Gallardo from post seven. or contact us at [email protected]. The remainder of the Sam F. Davis field includes Hidden Back to Top Kris S. “Produced 63 stakes winners with 5 Breeders’ Cups and earners of $50 million” File Photo Mr. Prospector File Photo “One of the most Fortunate Prospect influential sires of the “Produced earners of $43.1 20th century” million, a remarkable Photo File 74% winners from foals” Florida breeders bred to these Florida stallions before they became legends. Introduce Your Mare to a Future Legend Today. FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND CONSUMER SERVICES AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION Nicole “Nikki” Fried, Commissioner Lonny T.