Sara Hess is an apprentice jockey no longer.
Hess, 26, won today’s sixth race at Tampa Bay Downs aboard 4-year-old filly Bunny Hop for her 40th career victory, the threshold at which a jockey loses their apprentice weight allowance. Moving forward, Hess will compete with her mounts carrying the weight stipulated in the track’s condition book for all journeywoman/journeyman jockeys.
Hess, who had ridden with a 7-pound weight allowance, has 20 winners at the meet, good for 11th in the standings.
Bunny Hop, who is owned by Boston Boyz Racing, LLC and trained by Mario Roberto Lopez, improved to 5-for-19 with the victory in the 6 ½-furlong allowance/optional claiming race. Her previous victory came two starts back with Hess aboard at odds of 25-1. She paid $7.80 to win today.
Hess provided a patient, well-timed ride, keeping Bunny Hop out of trouble and moving to the lead inside the 1/8-mile pole. They finished 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Wheelingndealing.
The 4-year-old filly Brookmesa broke down in the stretch of the sixth race while vying for the lead and was humanely euthanized due to the severity of her injury. Jockey Sonny Leon was unhurt.
Around the oval. Life Is Precious surged past stablemate El Principito in deep stretch to post a 1-length victory in the eighth, the annual Oldsmar Cup Race. The winning 4-year-old gelding, who finished third here on Feb. 8 in the Pelican Stakes, completed the 7-furlong distance in 1:22.68.
Life Is Precious is trained by Gerald Bennett, who owns him under his Winning Stables banner in partnership with Todd R. Bittiger. Daniel Centeno was the winning jockey.
Trainer S. Matthew Kintz saddled two winners today, both on the turf. He captured the fifth race with Cocktail Kisses, a 3-year-old filly owned by Joel Mascher and ridden by Samy Camacho. Kintz added the ninth with La Girvina, a 5-year-old Florida-bred mare owned by James Fisher and S. Matthew Kintz Racing and Sales, Inc., and ridden by Jesus Castanon.
Thoroughbred racing continues Sunday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:25 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs races Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and is open every day except April 20, Easter, 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.
