ftboa.com • Tuesday & Wednesday • March 30 & 31, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST REMINDER: FTBOA Member Renewal Deadline March 31 New Members Welcome CLICK HERE In This Issue: Ax Man Leads Start to Finish to Take Santana Mile Unbridled Thoroughbred Foundation Announces Executive Director Known Agenda in ‘Great Shape’ Following Florida Derby Cancel Secures Big A Winter Meet Title Aboard My Boy Tate in Haynesfield Kentucky Derby Leaderboard Florida-bred Tap It to Win/SV PHOTOGRAPHY Gulfstream Park Charts Florida Cup Again Showcases Tampa Bay Downs Charts Florida Stallion Progeny List Florida-bred Stars in Florida Breeders’ List Quality-Laden Program Wire to Wire Business Place BY BROCK SHERIDAN _____________ Carothers on air. “Oh my goodness Matt,” Rudolph said. Featured Advertisers Tampa Bay Downs and the Florida “You are not kidding about the quality Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ today at Tampa Bay Downs.” Baoma Corp Association presented the 18th renewal of “Some races are better than others,” Bloodstockauction USA the Florida Cup Sunday and the program Carothers replied, “There’s not a bad day Florida Department of Agriculture made up of six-race stakes lived up to the race in the entire sequence. The races are tradition of producing several fields of either good or great at Tampa.” FTBOA high quality Florida-breds that appealed to Each Florida Cup race offered a Journeyman Stud the betting public and Florida thorough- $100,000 purse with a $10,000 win bonus bred fans alike. presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply The appeal was especially evident to Breeders’ and Owners’ Association for Ocala Stud those watching the races on TVG as host horses eligible for the Florida Sire Stakes. Seminole Feed Ken Rudolph noted to commentator Matt See FLORIDA CUP on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Florida Cup Continued from COVER Tap It to Win Makes 2021 Debut With NYRA Bets Sprint Victory Tap It to Win made his first start of the year a big success as he won the $100,000 NYRA Bets Sprint by four-and-a-quarter lengths. Ridden by Antonio Gallardo, Tap It to Win bested five other older Florida-breds who went six furlongs. Fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes won by Tiz the Law on June 20 and second to Echo Town in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1, Tap It to Win finished his sopho- more campaign at Churchill Downs with a third-place finish behind fellow Florida-bred Rushie in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Sept. 5. Tap It to Win came into the Sprint as the 4-5 favorite and lived up to the support from his wagering fans with a dominat- ing victory. R Mercedes Boy made for an eventful beginning to the Sprint as he veered out and bumped with Hauntedbythemusic then Tap It to Win before sprinting to the front with Cajun Brother to his out- side. Meanwhile, Tap It to Win found position between horses from about two lengths back as they finished the run down the backstretch in a quick :22.16. R Merecedes Boy and Cajun Brother continued to battle around the turn as Gallardo steered Tap It to Win through a ground-saving trip on the rail. As they turned for home after completing the half-mile in :44.82, Tap It to Win found room on the rail and shot through the opening with urging from Gallardo and took command as they raced into the final furlong. They quickly opened up a clear advantage and throttled down to an easy victory in 1:09.43 with R Mercedes Boy coming to the finish in second and a length-and- three-quarters better than Hauntedbythemusic in third. The time was just .76 of a second off the stakes and track record of 1:08.67 set by Florida-bred It’s Me Mom in 2012 Cajun Brother, My Boy Lenny and Old Time Revival finished in that order. “I started asking him a little when I saw [R Mercedes Boy] See FLORIDA CUP on page 5 FTBOA Maintains Office Building Drop Box For Official Business While the FTBOA offices remain closed to visitors and mem- bers doing business as a precaution due to the Coronavirus pan- demic, be advised that all services provided by the Association and its related companies remain on going. Most business can be conducted via mail, email or telephone and a drop box has been installed near our side entrance of the FTBOA building at 801 SW 60th Avenue, Ocala, Fla. for mem- bers to use when dropping off time-sensitive documents. Forms may be found at this lo- cation or on our website at www.ftboa.com. Please call us at 352-629- 2160 if you have any questions or contact us at [email protected]. Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Florida Cup page 3 Tap It to Win appears to be living up to the expectations after such Continued from come off the rail, and when I asked him, he showed how nice he an accomplished campaign last year. is,” Gallardo said. “This horse showed me he was the best horse in “He was coming off a very good 3-year-old year, but you keep the race. Sometimes at Tampa, you worry a little about the dis- your fingers crossed he’ll come back to that same form,” Miranda tance, because a horse goes to the lead and they never quit, so I said. “That’s what happened. He was very good in the receiving tried to keep him busy. barn and is just a real pro.” “He broke sharp, and he’s a horse you can put in any position Tap it To Win is a bay ridgling by Tapit out of the multiple and when it’s time to go, you only ask him a little bit and it’s like stakes-winning mare Onepointthreekarats, by Medaglia d’Oro and he explodes.” the Live Oak Plantation homebred is trained by Mark Casse. Casse assistant trainer Jimmy Miranda was also pleased that Onepointthreekarats has also produced graded stakes-placed Souper Stonehenge by Speightstown for Live Oak Plantation, who was scratched from the Turf Classic. Baby Boomer, Game Boy Benny and Shivaree also scratched. He paid $3.80 to win for his fourth career victory in 10 starts with two seconds and a third. He has now earned $333,672. R Adios Jersey Remains Unbeaten In Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies R Adios Jersey won for fourth time in four career starts and earned her first black type by taking the seven furlong Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies by two-and-a-quarter lengths. In addition to the winner’s share of the $100,000 purse, the daughter of Ocala Stud leading sire Adios Charlie out of Marion Theatre, by Montbrook also earned a $10,000 bonus from the FTBOA as a Florida Sire Stakes eligible winner. Trained by Georgina Baxter for Rick Averill’s Averill Racing LLC and Anthony Mattera’s ATM Racing, R Adios Jersey won her R Adios Jersey/SV PHOTOGRAPHY See FLORIDA CUP on page 7 Back to Top Back to Top Page 7 Florida Cup page 5 Continued from first three career starts at Gulfstream including her first race against $35,000 maiden claiming fillies by 12 ¾ lengths in December at six furlongs. She then won a first condition allowance race by two- and-a-half lengths going five-and-a-half furlongs there on Feb. 3 before winning a $50,000 optional claiming starter allowance by a half-length at six furlongs on Feb. 26. The quick filly again showed her speed in the Sophomore Fillies as jockey Paco Lopez had her in front by two lengths going into the turn after clicking off a quick :22.27 quarter-mile as the 8-5 favorite. Fan Fan and jockey Hector Diaz tried to apply pressure around the bend but never got clos- er than a length as they straightened away in the run for home with a :45.29 half-mile fraction. R Adios Jersey shook free down the stretch as Psychic Ability made a late run to move into the second but R Adios Jersey proved to be much the best with a two-and-a-quarter length win in 1:23.35. Psychic Ability finished second, nearly four lengths ahead of Ray Arewethereyet in third. Florida-bred Summering/SV PHOTOGRAPHY Special Princess, Princess Secret, Fan Fan, Sky raced just off of longshot Classy Woman, who led through the Proposal, Go Jo Jo Go, East Wing, Quinoa Tifah and Adios early stages of the Distaff Turf with controlled fractions of :24.37 Trippie completed the order of finish. for the first two furlongs, the half in :48.75 and six furlongs in “I’m very, very happy. She ran huge,” Averill said. “Paco got to 1:12 flat. the lead and got her to settle, and I think she got a little breather Turning for home, Summering took the lead but Classy Woman after the half-mile pole. We had this race picked out after her last would not let her get away with a courageous fight on the inside start, but we’ll take her back to Gulfstream and see how she comes as those two separated in tandem from the rest. Summering put a out of this one.” head in front of her tenacious foe at the finish as the two mares “Georgina told me this filly was ready and to do what I wanted finished in 1:41.50 and two lengths better than Lovely Luv in out of the gate,” Lopez said.