A Tampa Bay Downs crowd of 3,568 was treated to plenty of exciting racing action during the 22nd annual Florida Cup, the Oldsmar oval’s celebration of the state’s rich legacy of breeding and racing champion Thoroughbreds.
Highlighted by six $110,000 stakes races for registered Florida-breds, this year’s event featured stakes-record performances by Macho Music in the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore and Crystal Quest in the ESMARK Turf Classic. Luis Saez rode three winners, a day after capturing the Grade I Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa aboard Tappan Street.
The Florida Cup was staged under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures in the low 80s and soft breezes.
Total all-sources handle of $7,787,802 was an all-time Florida Cup Day record, eclipsing the 2021 mark of $7,732,584. Full disclosure: The new mark was aided by the cancellation of racing at Aqueduct and the cancellation of racing mid-card at Gulfstream Park.
All told, 52 horses in six stakes vied for bragging rights among their Sunshine State rivals. Here, in the order in which the races were run, is a capsule recap of each Florida Cup race.
OCALA BREEDERS’ SALES SOPHOMORE
Judging from his stakes-record performance in the 7-furlong Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore – and jockey Javier Castellano’s post-race analysis – 3-year-old colt Macho Music could be on the verge of a breakout 2025 campaign.
“Those are the type of horses we (jockeys) chase all year round,” Castellano said after Macho Music drew off to an 11 ¼-length victory from P Four, lowering the former stakes mark of 1:22.13 set in 2011 by Manicero to 1:21.30.
Did Castellano mean jockeys chase after such mounts, or chase them around the track? Probably both.
“Nobody can keep up with that speed,” Castellano said after Macho Music went out in 22.52 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 44.70 for the half and 1:08.76 for 6 furlongs. “I really liked the way he finished, and he galloped out good. He just raced so beautiful. He’s a nice, straightforward horse, a free-run horse, and he likes to get involved with speed and enjoy the ride.”
Macho Music, who had finished second to Gate to Wire in the 7-furlong Swale Stakes on Feb. 1 at Gulfstream in his most recent start, is owned by Mark Fletcher Taylor, Rohan Crichton and Daniel L. Walters and trained by Crichton. The partners purchased him for $60,000 at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.
Bred by Bridlewood Farm, the son of Maclean’s Music-Southern Girl, by Tapit, improved to 3-for-7 with two seconds with his first stakes victory. First-place money of $70,000 raised his career earnings to $204,257. He paid $2.80 to win as the favorite.
‘It was a pretty good performance,” said Crichton, who believes adding blinkers before the Swale after not wearing them in his prior start made a difference. “He broke well and Javier guided him around. I think he is going to be a one-turn mile horse, and this race certainly brings him along in his development.
“I hope he comes back good tomorrow after he cools off.”
“We really are excited,” Taylor said in the winner’s circle. “Maybe excited enough to go to Kentucky the first Saturday in May and find something on the card for him. Rohan does a great job picking these horses out and training them up.”
STONEHEDGE FARM SOUTH SOPHOMORE FILLIES
The field of six was bunched within about 2-3 lengths approaching the 3/8-mile pole, but Luis Saez – who won Saturday’s Grade I Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream aboard Tappan Street – again found himself on a 3-year-old with a little extra.
Win N Your In, who finished third here on Jan. 11 against open company in the Gasparilla Stakes, upped her game today, responding to Saez’s urging at the top of the stretch and powering to a 7-length victory from Bella Cleopatra, with La Gioconda third.
The time for the 7-furlong distance was 1:23.23.
“I think it was a great performance,” said winning trainer Carlos David. “The idea was to get out running – she has some tactical speed, so I wanted to try to get early position close to the rail. I knew (Bella Cleopatra) on the outside was the other speed in the race, so I told Luis if she goes to let her go on the lead and sit second, but if (Win N Your In) got in front, just go with her.
“I know it’s 7/8s but she likes the lead too so it worked out great. And when they set those fractions like she set today (21.89 for the opening quarter and 44.24 for the half), they just can’t get them.”
The victory was the fourth from nine lifetime starts for Win N Your In, who was bred by Marion Montanari and is owned by Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston. She has won three stakes, the first two as a 2-year-old at Gulfstream Park. The $70,000 first-place check raised her earnings to $308,950.
The daughter of Win Win Win-Hello Rosie, by Yes It’s True, paid $8 to win as the second wagering choice.
Saez was delighted by the way she turned back all threats and kept motoring. “This is a pretty nice filly. She likes to be in the clear so the key with her today was try to break sharp and keep her clear. She broke pretty well, she controlled the pace and when she got to the top of the stretch, I had plenty of horse and she gave me a good turn of foot,” Saez said.
ESMARK TURF CLASSIC
To be the champ, you have to beat the champ.
That’s precisely what 4-year-old colt Crystal Quest did, responding to jockey Samuel Marin’s encouragement in deep stretch to post a ¾-length victory from 6-year-old gelding Forever Souper and jockey Paco Lopez, last year’s ESMARK Turf Classic winners.
The 1-2 finish by the Live Oak Plantation-bred-and-owned and Michael Trombetta-trained horses was achieved in a time of 1:46.50 for the mile-and-an-eighth on a turf course rated good after Saturday night rain, bettering the stakes mark of 1:46.87 set last year by Forever Souper. Live Oak Plantation has bred (as Live Oak Stud) and owned a record 12 Florida Cup Day winners.
It is the second stakes victory for Crystal Quest, who won last year’s Florida Cup Sophomore Turf. Ridden by leading Oldsmar jockey Samuel Marin, he paid $30 to win after his fourth victory in 11 starts. The winner’s share of $70,000 upped his earnings to $269,730.
“That was a pretty wild outcome,” Trombetta said via telephone. “I’m obviously fond of both horses and I’m surprised that Crystal Quest was up for this task like this, but I’m tickled to death with this.
“Today things just really jelled for him and he got a beautiful trip. That inside trip (from the No. 1 post position) worked out really well.”
Marin rode the son of Uncle Mo-Giant Crystal, by Giant’s Causeway, with extreme confidence, as the 23-year-old has on the majority of his mounts during this magical season, and was richly rewarded.
“I knew the one to beat was Paco’s horse because he had won the same race last year,” Marin said. “I was a little worried about him, but when we hit the 3/8s pole I knew I had a lot of horse. (Lopez) was trying to look for a spot and he asked him a little bit, but at the quarter pole I knew I was on the winner.”
Trombetta was torn between his two stable stars as they dueled late, with Crystal Quest wearing down his valiant stablemate.
“It doesn’t happen often, but I’m glad that it did. We gave these two horses some time off over the winter and brought them both back. They were prepping down at Gulfstream and I worked them together two of three times, and they worked really, really well,” Trombetta said. “You always worry that they’ll be ready to go a-mile-and-an-eighth, but they were certainly up for it.”
Treasure King unseated jockey Javier Castellano soon after the start of the race, but Castellano was able to return for the final race, the Equistaff Sophomore Turf, on third-place finisher Good Long Cry. Treasure King was injured on the backstretch attempting to jump the outer rail and was awaiting X-rays back at the barn to evaluate the seriousness of his injury as this was written.
PLEASANT ACRES STALLIONS DISTAFF TURF
To hear jockey Adam Beschizza tell it, he should have thrown in the towel on the backstretch, with favorite Mohawk Trail racing ninth of 10 fillies and mares in the mile-and-a-sixteenth grass contest.
“I actually went completely the opposite from how I was trying to set up the race for her,” Beschizza said after Mohawk Trail’s pulsating ¾-length victory from Lady Cha Cha, with Dreaming of Abba another neck back in third. The winner’s time was 1:41.73 – the hard way.
“I broke ordinary, the pace was strong going into the first turn and I found myself completely off the pace. I honestly thought unless this field collapses in front of me, I don’t think I’m going to catch them,” Beschizza said.
But it’s all about trying, and neither the 5-year-old mare nor her pilot gave up the chase. “This filly is in great order. (Trainer) Kelsey (Danner) has her in cracking form and she really brought her along nicely for this race,” Beschizza said. “She was kind of giving me a bit of a possum run back there; I thought she was kind of not enjoying it, and the loose turf was coming back and hitting us both in the face quite coarsely.
“I thought, is she enjoying it or is she kind of waiting to pounce? And that’s what she was doing,” Beschizza said.
Watching on television, Danner was a lot more accepting of the route horse and rider took to get home first. “I thought the race set up well for her,” Danner said. “There was a good pace for her to go after. Adam had her in a good spot and she finished up strong.”
Mohawk Trail, now 6-for-18 with earnings of $344,733, is owned by the NBS Stable of John Ballantyne. The daughter of Pioneerof The Nile-Iroquois Girl, by Indian Charlie, was bred by Westbury Stables LLC.
Mohawk Trail won the Grade III Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine as a 3-year-old.
NYRABETS SPRINT
Hurricane Nelson had no shortage of challengers in the 6-furlong contest, but kept turning them back one by one. And after Chrome Ghost mounted a final threat, winning jockey Luis Saez had more than enough to surge to a 2 ½-length victory. Comedy Town finished third.
The winning 4-year-old colt, a son of Khozan-French Politics, by Political Force, paid $8 to win after speeding the distance in 1:09.11, .44 seconds off It’s Me Mom’s stakes and track record.
“I thought he race a very nice race,” winning trainer Christophe Clement said via telephone. “I am thrilled for Mr. (Dean) Reeves (the owner of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing), who always believed in that horse and has been very patient with him.”
The victory was Hurricane Nelson’s third from 10 starts and the first-place earnings of $70,000 raised his career bankroll to $273,930. Hurricane Nelson was bred by GDS Racing Stable.
The race was marred by the breakdown of 5-year-old gelding Cajun Gem, who incurred a broken left front ankle on the far turn and was humanely euthanized.
Saez is one of the best at keeping a horse going, but even he might have been a little surprised by Hurricane Nelson’s doggedness. “I knew the pace was pretty hot, but I also know that he’s a fighter,” Saez said of Hurricane Nelson, who has won three of his last four starts. “When he got to the top of the stretch, he just kept going. It was an impressive effort.”
Clement echoed Saez’s view. “It was a very fast pace,” the conditioner said. “This was his first stakes win and he ran great.”
EQUISTAFF SOPHOMORE TURF
Having broken his maiden on the all-weather track at Gulfstream Park in October, 3-year-old colt Tank had already proven he could win on a synthetic track. It took four subsequent efforts, but now the son of Adios Charlie-Vegas, by Brethren, can boast of being a stakes winner on turf.
With jockey Luis Saez in the zone en route to his third Florida Cup victory of the afternoon, Tank raced off the pace set by Koctel War before moving to the lead at the quarter pole. The lone filly in the nine-horse field, Good Long Cry, rallied strongly on the turn for home but ultimately settled for third, 1 ¾ lengths behind Win With Faith.
Tank paid $11.20 to win as the third wagering choice. He is a homebred racing for the Arindel operation of Alan Cohen.
Carlos David trains Tank, who was second to Naughty Rascal in the Armed Forces Stakes in November on the turf at Gulfstream.
“He runs well on the Tapeta (surface) at Gulfstream, but I think he is better on the grass,” David said. “I told Luis to take advantage of the outside (No. 9) post and try to get a good position early in the top three, and I think that was the key to the race.”
Tank may be coming into his own at a good time, the spring of his 3-year-old year. His time of 1:41.45 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance was .25 seconds off the stakes record, set by Star Channel in 2012.
“I rode him in his last race, and I was confident in him today,” Saez said. ‘He’s a fighter, and when he feels pressure from the outside he gets going again.”
First-place money of $70,000 nearly doubled Tank’s career bankroll, to $149,460.
