When trainer Gerald Bennett acquired Chrome Ghost last February before his eighth career start, the Florida-bred gelding had yet to finish in the money and was dealing with stomach ulcers that necessitated a 6-month layoff from racing.
The veteran conditioner opted for a patient approach, seeking a solution that would enable him to tap into the horse’s potential. After Chrome Ghost was treated for his stomach issues, Bennett determined the blinkers that had been a standard part of his equipment were causing additional stress.
“I told (Tampa Bay Downs starter) Eddie Bubolz behind the gate one morning he didn’t need blinkers. He was going too nuts with the other horses around him,” Bennett recalled. “We decided to keep them off to get him to relax.”
Those changes have effected a turnaround that has brought relief to Chrome Ghost and satisfaction to Bennett and the 5-year-old’s owner, Richard Heatter. Since April 12, he has four victories and three thirds from his eight starts under Bennett, including a triumph in Saturday’s ninth race, a 7-furlong allowance/optional claiming contest that added $34,115 to his bankroll.
Chrome Ghost’s time was a speedy 1:22.32, and it needed to be to win. He finished 2 lengths ahead of 4-year-old Nutella Fella, a Grade I winner as a 2-year-old who was making his first start in seven months for trainer Gary Contessa.
Bennett said Chrome Ghost returned from the race full of energy, “like he didn’t even run.” When and where he runs next is undecided, but his recent efforts suggest he could be ready for stakes competition.
Chrome Ghost’s impressive performance came 2 ½ hours after Bennett sent out Naughty Rascal for the $150,000-guaranteed Pasco Stakes, which featured the return to competition of trainer Brian Lynch’s Owen Almighty after being sidelined 4 months because of a gastrointestinal infection. Owen Almighty and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., finished a length ahead of Naughty Rascal but were disqualified to fifth for interfering with Rookie Card and jockey Junior Alvarado on the turn for home, making Naughty Rascal the winner.
The victory was the fourth from six starts for the Florida-bred Naughty Rascal and his third stakes win. It was also the first Pasco victory for Bennett, who trains the colt for Mr Pug, LLC and J.P.G. 2, LLC.
Bennett plans to point Naughty Rascal to the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race on Feb. 8. Owen Almighty is also expected to return for the race.
“He (Naughty Rascal) cleaned his feed tub and licked everything clean this morning. Not an oat came out of it. It was like he was out for a morning gallop (Saturday),” Bennett said.
Many observers credited jockey Edwin Gonzalez for keeping Naughty Rascal close up to the lead pair in the early stages through red-hot fractions of 21.92 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.53 for the half. After Owen Almighty veered into Rookie Card, causing Alvarado to take up sharply, Naughty Rascal made his move, finally yielding grudgingly to the favorite who seemed to suffer not at all from the incident with Rookie Card.
“Edwin told me when he came back he knew (Owen Almighty) had to come down, so even though he knew Naughty Rascal was getting a little tired, he didn’t get after him that hard,” Bennett said. “I think if (Rookie Card) had stayed in contention and been fighting head-to-head (with Owen Almighty), things could have gone differently.”
Saturday’s 10-race card produced total wagering handle of $8,279,255, by far the largest of the meet. The previous best was Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, when a nine-race card generated $6,054,252 in betting handle.
Numerous factors contributed to Saturday’s excellent handle, which included $7,684,000 in interstate simulcast wagering. In addition to the Pasco, the card included two other stakes races, the $150,000 Gasparilla and the $100,000 Wayward Lass. The seven non-stakes races offered total purse money of $310,500, attracting 65 entrants.
Tampa Bay Downs also benefited from several track closures around the country. Santa Anita in southern California was closed to accommodate thousands of residents displaced by the region’s wildfires, an influx that included people in need of supplies and those eager to donate. Santa Anita has been closed for racing since Friday.
Severe winter weather forced the cancellation of racing at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas and Turfway Park in Kentucky.
Track officials hope the Oldsmar oval’s exciting day of racing, which was televised on the Fox Sports 1 network, will help build momentum for the second third of the meet, which includes the Festival Preview Day card on Feb. 8. Average field size has remained steady at 8.4 horses a race, so the optimism appears well-placed.
Around the oval. Samy Camacho rode two winners today, extending his lead in the jockeys race to 35-32 from Samuel Marin. Camacho won the fifth race on the turf on Hall Monitor, a 3-year-old colt owned by Highland Yard, LLC and trained by Christophe Clement. The rider added the sixth with Ethan Energy, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Stonestreet Stables, LLC and trained by Brad Cox.
Marvelous Lady won the seventh race, a 6-furlong, starter/optional claiming event, to improve to 4-for-4 at the meet. The 5-year-old Florida-bred mare staged an impressive rally to run down Aferdita by 2 lengths. Claimed from her previous victory for $8,000 by trainer Lynn Rarick for her husband, owner Randy “Red” Rarick, Marvelous Lady was ridden by Ronnie Allen, Jr.
She paid $60.80 to win as the longest shot in the race despite having gone off no higher than 2-1 in her previous three victories.
Thoroughbred racing continues Wednesday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:40 p.m. In addition to racing each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 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.
