Sam F. Davis Stakes Racing Roundup

©2019 Calvin L. Carter. All rights reserved.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to Florida, Saturday, where KNICKS GO will go to the starting gate as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the 39^th running of the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. Post time is 5:25 ET.

Knicks Go comes into this race with a 2-1-1 record in six starts for trainer Ben Colebrook including an eleventh-place finish last out in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

KNICKS GO tracked the pace early, shifted into the three path in the far turn and was empty down the lane.

The track was sloppy and time will tell if Knicks Go did not like the racing conditions because he had previously won the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes (G1) and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1).

Paynter, the sire of Knicks Go, was a graded stakes winner that compiled a 4-4-0 record in 11 starts with $1,101, 924 in career earnings.

Paynter did no race until he was three years old and he compiled a 3-2-0 record in six starts with a graded-stakes win in the Haskell Invitational (G1). He finished second in The Cliff’s Edge Trial Stakes (G3) and the Belmont Stakes (G1).

As a four-year-old, Paynter was 1-2-0 in five starts with second-place finish in the San Diego Handicap (G2) and the Awesome Again Stakes (G1).

Knicks Go has a low F Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index makes him, potentially, competitive in this herd of runners. Knicks Go has been training well at Tampa Bay Downs and if he returns to previous form he should run a good race.

SO ALIVE (5-1) is a young colt we profiled as a yearling (Hip 543) at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and he comes into this race with a 2-0-0 record in three starts for trainer Todd Pletcher. Here’s the video and chart call of his last race:

SO ALIVE was bumped at the start, raced three wide early, then settled close up three wide, bid three wide on the far turn, dueled with COUNTER OFFER into the stretch, responded at the furlong marker and drew clear, driving.

So Alive tracked the leaders throughout the backstretch then took the lead the far turn and pulled away to win by 1½ lengths.

Super Saver, the sire of So Alive, was a multiple graded stakes winner and Classic Champion Thoroughbred that compiled a 3-2-1 record in 10 starts with $1,889,766 in career earnings. In addition, he was my pick to win the 2010 Kentucky Derby.

As a two year old, Super Saver was 2-1-0 in four starts and finished his racing season with a win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) making him, along with Street Sense and Nyquist, among a select group of two year olds to win a major end-of-year prep race that went on to victory in the Derby.

As a three year old, Super Saver compiled a 1-1-1 record in six starts with a third-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and a gutsy second-place finish to Line of David in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in route to victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

As a stallion, Super Saver’s top-five, leading runners include Runhappy, Inside Straight, Competitive Edge, Embellish the Lace and Hedge Fund.

So Alive has an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s a half-brother to Vino Rosso who we also profiled at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale as a young horse (Hip 528) with stakes potential.

So Alive has been training well and a recent bullet work out could have him ready to take another step forward in his second start of the season.

FIVE STAR GENERAL (4-1) is another young colt we profiled as a yearling (Hip 66) at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and he comes into this race with a 2-0-0 record in three starts for trainer Arnaud Delacour including a win in the Central Park Stakes. Here’s the video and chart call of his last race:

FIVE STAR GENERAL established control in short order, sailed along well rated in the two path, kicked well clear of the others before completing the run around the bend, got roused spinning into the lane, emerged at the eighth pole holding his largest advantage, saw it steadily cut into by the second place finisher but was able to stay safely in the clear.

Five Star General led from the start and looked good to win his first stakes race in “front running fashion” by 1 ¼ lengths.

Distorted Humor, the sire of Five Star General, was a multiple graded stakes winner that compiled an 8-5-3 record in 23 starts with $769,964 in earnings.

Distorted Humor made his first start in February of his three-year-old racing season and he did not run in the Kentucky Derby.

His first stakes win at the age of three was the Screen King Stakes and he finished the racing season with a third-place finish in the King’s Bishop Stakes (G2) and second-place finishes in both the Jerome Handicap (G2) and Fayette Stakes (G2).

As a four-year-old, Distorted Humor won the Salvator Mile Handicap (G3). He finished second in the Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap (G3) and he was third in the Philip H. Iselin Handicap (G2).

At the age of five, Distorted Humor won the Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup Stakes (G2), Churchill Downs Handicap (G2) and the Ack Ack Handicap (G3). In his last race, he finished third in the Cigar Mile (G1).

As a stallion, Distorted Humor has sired numerous graded stakes winners, including the classic champions Funny Cide, winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) and Drosselmeyer, winner of the 2010 Belmont Stakes (G1). Distorted Humor also is the grandsire of I’ll Have Another, winner of the 2012 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Five Star General has an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®. He’s been training well at Tampa Bay Downs and a string of recent bullet work outs could have him ready to take a big step forward in his first start of the season.

KENTUCKY WILDCAT (9-2) comes into this race with a 1-0-1 record in three starts including a maiden win last December for trainer Thomas Albertrani. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

KENTUCKY WILDCAT along the outside throughout, steadily advanced towards the front runners proceeding along the backstretch, departed it towards path three, was in reserve vying as the widest of three, moved up to take over as three-quarters was being completed, settled in and was given his cue, got hooked up in a duel with the runner up, drifted out a bit in the last eighth but dug in with determination to stay in the clear.

Kentucky Wildcat looked good to break his maiden on his third start and win by one half a length.

Tapit, the sire of Kentucky Wildcat, was a multiple graded stakes winner that compiled a 3-0-0 record in six starts with $557,300 in career earnings.

As a two-year-old, Tapit was undefeated in two starts including a win in the Laurel Futurity (G3).  Tapit was troubled by a lung infection for much of his three-year-old season but he did win the nine-furlong Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) in route to a ninth-place finish in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

At stud, Tapit has sired numerous graded stakes winners including the Belmont Stakes (G1) champions Tapwrit (2017), Creator (2016) and Tonalist (2014).

Kentucky Wildcat, a home-bred of Godolphin, has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s the best-bred colt in this herd of runners. He has room to improve in his first start of the season and a recent bullet work out could have him ready to run a good race.

Honorable mention goes to Still Dreaming (15-1) and Cave Run (6-1).

*****

A total of 35 prep races comprise the USA Road to the Kentucky Derby. In addition, there are seven races on the European road and four races on the Japan road to Derby glory.

2019 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Game Winner, 30, Bob Baffert, $1,460,000

2. Knicks Go, 18, Ben Colebrook, $656,085

3. Signalman, 18, Ken McPeek, $392,840

4. Gunmetal Gray, 18, Jerry Hollendorfer, $210,000

5. Long Range Toddy, 14, Steve Asmussen, $330,000

6. Mucho Gusto, 14, Bob Baffert, $210,000

7. Maximus Mischief, 12, “Butch” Reid, Jr., $171,100

8. Tax, 12, Danny Gargan, $167,500

9. Mind Control, 10, George Sacco, $295,000

10. Complexity, 10, Chad Brown, $275,000

11. Improbable, 10, Bob Baffert, $239,520

12. +Harvey Wallbanger, 10, Kenny McPeek, $208,320

13. War of Will, 10, Mark Casse, $200,840

14. Gray Attempt, 10, Jinks Fires, $135,000

15. Our Braintrust, 6, Cathal Lynch, $147,000

16. Code of Honor, 4, Shug McGaughey, $100,000

17. Network Effect, 4, Chad Brown, $90,000

18. Bankit, 4, Steve Asmussen, $80,000

19. Everfast, 4, Dale Romans, $74,635

20. Tight Ten, 4, Steve Asmussen, $67,900

+ = Profiled as an A+ yearling on our 2017 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sales list.

EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Royal Marine (IRE), 10, Saeed bin Suroor, $264,968

2. Magna Grecia (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $185,000

3. Mohawk (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $128,702

4. Japan (GB), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $75,316

5. Phoenix of Spain (IRE), 4, Charlie Hill, $157,944

6. Broome (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $140,871

7. Sydney Opera House (GB), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $40,956

8. Mount Everest (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $24,254

9. Anodor (FR), 2, Freddie Head, $99,215

10. Western Australian (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $43,084

11. Cape of Good Hope (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $41,515

12. Power of Now (IRE), 2, Michael O’Callaghan, $11,489

13. Boitron (FR), 1, Richard Hannon, $44,917

14. Victory Command, (IRE), 1, Mark Johnston, $35,108

15. Circus Maximus (IRE), 1, Aidan O’Brien, $24,368

16. Sovereign (IRE), 1, Aiden O’Brien, $5,106

JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Earnings

1. Nova Lenda (JPN), 20, Takashi Saito, $446,285

2. f-Make Happy, 12, Koichi Shinkai, $184,181

3. Derma Louvre (JPN), 8, Hirofumi Toda, $447,672

4. Gal Vihara, 4, Kiyoshi Hagiwara, $216,271

2. Kingen (JPN), 4, Kunihide Matsuda, $97,867

3. Johaan (JPN), 2, Yasuyuki Takahashi, $72,900

4. Romantico (JPN), 1, Kazuo Fujisawa, $91,245