Barring late changes, the stage appears set for a super showdown Saturday afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs.
Nic’s Style, a 4-year-old filly whose 4-for-5 record includes a New York stakes victory and a runner-up effort in the Grade II Gallant Bloom Stakes, will face R Disaster, a speedy 3-year-old lass with a 3-for-4 record, in the eighth edition of the $100,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes.
The 7-furlong race for fillies and mares 3-years-old-and-upward is the sixth race on a 10-race card beginning at 12:15 p.m. It is one of two FTBOA-sponsored stakes races, along with the eighth annual FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes for colts and geldings 3-and-upward. The Marion County is Saturday’s second race.
Both races are for FTBOA-registered Florida-bred horses sired by an FTBOA-registered Florida stallion. The races are part of a joint effort between the FTBOA and Tampa Bay Downs to raise the profile and purse earnings of Florida-bred horses.
The City of Ocala drew a field of seven, with Nic’s Style the 4-5 morning-line favorite. She will start from the No. 1 post position. Owned by Stephen Rousseau, the daughter of Uncaptured-Sense When, by Street Sense, is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and will be ridden by Junior Alvarado. Nic’s Style stepped up in class on Nov. 3 to capture the Pumpkin Pie Stakes at 7 furlongs at the Belmont At The Big A meet.
The 38-year-old Alvarado, who was the regular rider on 2023 horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, has enjoyed an outstanding 2024 campaign, with nine graded-stakes victories and purse earnings of more than $11.4-million. He has ridden Nic’s Style in each of her starts.
R Disaster, who finished second in her career debut on July 20 at Gulfstream Park, has done nothing but win since. Lightning-quick out of the gate, she overcame some bumping at the start of her most recent race on Nov. 15 at Gulfstream to post a 3 ½-length victory.
Owned by Averill Racing, LLC, Two Eight Racing, LLC and ATM Racing, the daughter of Awesome Slew-Making Havoc, by Gottcha Gold, is trained by Saffie A. Joseph, Jr., and will be ridden by Oldsmar mainstay Pablo Morales from the No. 2 post.
Trainer Victor Barboza, Jr., has two entrants in the City of Ocala, and it seems unwise to rule out either – especially multiple stakes-winning 6-year-old mare Beth’s Dream, who finished second in her most recent start to Soul of an Angel in the Grade III Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes on Sept. 21 at Gulfstream Park. Soul of an Angel won the PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar in her next start.
Beth’s Dream, who had a four-race winning streak snapped in the Princess Rooney, is owned by Virginia Gamble and will be ridden by Samy Camacho. The daughter of Jess’s Dream-Gator Brew, by Milwaukee Brew, is 9-for-17 lifetime.
Barboza’s other entrant is Battle Cry, a 6-year-old daughter of 2012 Grade II Tampa Bay Derby winner Prospective out of Fort Carillon, by Runaway Groom. Battle Cry finished third in the Princess Rooney. She is owned by Skull Stable and will be ridden by Samuel Marin.
The other City of Ocala entrants are trainer Kathleen O’Connell’s 4-year-old Dream Concert, a homebred for owner James M. Chicklo with Jose Batista in the saddle; Carlos David’s 4-year-old Olga, an Arindel homebred to be ridden by Antonio Gallardo; and Hopesndreams, a 3-year-old owned and trained by Mike Dini with Jesus Castanon set to ride.
The field for the Marion County was reduced to five with the scratch of 3-year-old gelding Everdoit. It appears to be a well-balanced race, with 4-year-old gelding Loco Abarrio the likely pacesetter and 8-5 morning-line favorite. The son of Valiant Minister-Ballyhoo Moon, by Malibu Moon, won his most recent start, the FTBOA Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap on Oct. 19 at Gulfstream Park.
Loco Abarrio, who will break from the outside No. 5 post, is owned by Mad Dog Racing Stable and Joseph H. Parker and trained by Ron Spatz and will be ridden by Alvarado.
The second choice in the Marion County at 2-1 is Big Martini, a 4-year-old gelding who finished second to Loco Abarrio in the Gil Campbell Memorial. Big Martini will break from the No. 1 post under Sonny Leon. The son of The Big Beast-Dirty Martini, by Hard Spun, is owned by Daniel L. Walters and Dennis G. Smith and trained by Rohan Crichton.
The others are 4-year-old colt Khozeiress, who is owned by My Purple Haze Stables and trained by Terri Pompay and will be ridden by Camacho; 3-year-old colt Holiday Pay, owned by Calypso Racing Stables 2022, trained by Joseph and to be ridden by Daniel Centeno; and Pure Class, a 3-year-old colt bred and owned by JoAnn and Alex Lieblong and trained by David Fawkes.
Marcos Meneses is named to ride Pure Class, who won last season’s Florida Cup Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Around the oval. Samuel Marin rode three winners today. His hat trick started with the third race aboard 3-year-old Florida-bred filly Twizzle for owner Laura Pagan and trainer Monica McGoey. He next won the seventh race on the turf on 2-year-old colt Fully Authorized, who is owned by Laura Barrish and trained by Mike Dini.
Marin closed with a victory in the ninth race on the turf on 3-year-old filly Mrs. Katz, owned by Lynne Boutte and Ellen Epstein and trained by Kathleen O’Connell.
Godolphin homebred 2-year-old filly Deloraine unleashed a powerful stretch kick to win the featured fifth race on the turf by 8 ¼ lengths from Rocio, with early leader I’mwishingonastar third. Deloraine is trained by Eoin Harty and was ridden by Jesus Castanon. Her time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth was 1:43.51.
The first Sunday card of the meet is Dec. 22, with a special Christmas Eve card two days later. Tampa Bay Downs will be closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, then begin a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule that includes New Year’s Day.
Otherwise. Tampa Bay Downs is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at the Downs Golf Practice Facility.
