Rain Results In Small Field For Tai-Bo Stakes
One of the graded races on the card for this week in Florida is the Tai-Bo Stakes (G3). The mile and one sixteenth race over the inner turf track will be going off as the fifteenth race on the Saturday racing card. The race is open to fillies of three years of age and up. The winner of the Tai-Bo Stakes last year was Bad Scene who will not be running again this year after an off the board finish in an ungraded race this March. While the beginning of the week was warm here in Florida the temperature has dipped into the high 60s early this morning. With this drop in temperature has come a deluge of rain upon the track. While the temperatures are forecasted to rise into the 70s or 80s before post time on Saturday, it is unlikely that the track will be drying out as rain will continue to plummet the area throughout the week. Perhaps with the fear of an off track many trainers avoided the Tai-Bo this year. The race will feature a short field of just seven fillies to run on a likely yielding turf track this weekend.
1. Can’t Hardly Wait – deyoto3 – S. Ausilo – 5/1
Drawing the number one slot on the rail in the Tai-Bo is this fine four year old filly of impeccable breeding (Storm Cat x Seeking The Gold x Northern Dancer). The solid chestnut filly is owned by the Champion Lodge. The fillies most recent start came overseas in Queensland during the Dodge This Stakes (G3) over ten furlongs on the turf. The chestnut filly finished fifth, behind eight lengths in this race after breaking out of the ninth gate and being settled back into fifth. The filly never fired in the stretch and set a speed figure of ninety-three. The filly has been very impressive over yielding tracks so far in her career. She has started in three off tracks and all three have ended with the filly finishing on the board, two of these finishes were wins. Her most recent off track finish was late last year in an allowance caliber start over nine furlongs in Queensland where the filly won by one and three-fourth lengths after settling back in sixth an stalking the field until the turn where she made her move. The filly recorded a one hundred three speed figure for this race.
2. Ebudae – johngcozie – J. Cozier – 26/1
This four year old filly (Dynaformer x Summer Squall x Rahy) will play the role as one of our longshots in this years Tai-Bo Stakes. The bay filly out of the stakes winning dam Tempestuous is raced by Cozman19 Stables. The fillies most recent start came last March in a seven furlong allowance caliber race over the turf in North Florida. The filly was held back out of the gate and ran along in thirteenth until the turn where the filly was urge forward to challenge by jockey G. Sinks. The filly crossed the wire two lengths back in fourth with a duplicated lifetime best speed figure of ninety-five for the race. She had previously also posted this speed figure in her prior race the, the ungraded Rapid Within Black (GB) Challenge. Perhaps the two downfalls for this filly may be the fact that she has never started over an off track in her racing career. She is a big question mark as to whether she will be able to handle the yielding surface this Saturday. Also, the filly has only had three races over eight and a half furlongs. The best of these finishes was an allowance caliber race over the dirt where she finished fourth. Her only race over eight and a half furlongs on the turf came in the Panhandle Park Oaks (G3) in January where she finished tenth.
3. Seeking A Native – domedriver – O. Barrett – 3/1
This chestnut mare (Seeking The Gold x Green Desert x Raise A Native) will be holding the distinction of being the oldest horse entered in this year’s Tai-Bo Stakes at seven years old. The mare is owned and raced by Afc Stables. The impressively-bred mare saw her last start overseas in Ostend during an eight and a half furlong allowance caliber race. The filly broke out of the second post position and was held mid-pack in sixth. She gained ground quickly and overtook horses running ahead. By the time the mare was in the turn she was just a nose behind in second. It was no contest in the stretch as the mare went on to win the race by one and three-fourth lengths with a speed figure of one hundred two. The mare has had eight lifetime starts throughout her career over the slop, all eight of these ending in finishes on the board for the chestnut mare. Her most recent race over an off track was January of this year during an allowance caliber race over a good turf track in Pennsylvania. The mare won this race impressively by three and a half lengths, though only setting a speed figure of ninety-eight.
4. Dubawi Quest (ENG) – xssessiv – M. Wright – 26/1
This English-bred three year old (Dubawi (IRE) x Rainbow Quest x Dixieland Band) is another of our longshots this Saturday. The bay filly is raced by B4rca Stables. Her most recent race came in March over eight and a half furlongs in the Ash Legend Stakes in New York. The filly finished second in this race with a speed figure of ninety-five, a lifetime best speed for the filly. The filly started the race by breaking out of the middle post and making a hard run to settle in second. She gained the lead in the turn and led the field going into the stretch by one and one-fourth lengths but was caught at the end by a deep-closing filly and settled two and three-fourth lengths back in second. This filly has never started in a off-track so far during her career.
5. Made The Plans (GB) – kaif031 – A. Blackmore – 3/1
Drawing the five post will be this five year old bay filly (Jumron (GB) x Northern Dancer x Turn-To). The British-bred filly is owned by Kaif Stables. The bay filly had her most recent race in North Florida earlier this month in the nine furlong Black Betty Handicap (G2). The filly finished seventh in this race, six and a half lengths behind the winner after breaking out of the eighth post position and being held back in tenth. She made a late run at the wire in the stretch but came up short. She set a speed figure of one hundred for this race. The filly has had a somewhat disappointing last three races, finishing seventh twice and eighth once in her last three starts. Both the owner and jockey hope she will be brought back to form in this race. The filly had previously posted a speed figure of one hundred eleven in the ungraded Their Duke Stakes over eight an a half furlongs. The Tai-Bo Stakes will be the fillies first race at this distance since the Their Duke Stakes. Like some of the other fillies in this field, the bay five year old has never started over an off track.
6. Fandepgroom – tenpin8 – L. Buchta – 9.5
Going off as the morning line favorite this filly (Fantastic Light x Deputy Minister x Blushing Groom (FR)), will be breaking from the sixth gate. The chestnut five year old is out of the graded placed dam Sultry Shin and is raced by Rockriver Stables. Her most recent start came overseas in Sweden earlier this month in the ten and a half furlong Zinc Nijinsky Handicap. The filly drew the third post in this race and was sent forward out of the gate to settle around mid-pack in fifth. She made her move late in the stretch and managed to get up to finish second at the wire, just three-fourths of a length behind the winner. A speed figure of one hundred three was recorded for the filly. The filly has not finished out of the money in her last nineteen races and her last seven starts have all recorded triple digit speed figures for the chestnut filly. She is surely one of the top fillies to beat in the field this Saturday. She has started in five off track so far during her career, four of which ended in wins over the slop for the filly. The only time she did win over an off track was in the the Jen Jen Jaroo Stakes where she finished half a length back in second.
7. Purple Punisher – phartlap1 – R. Maire – 5/1
Settling into the far outside post is this five year old filly (Crafty Friend x Tilt Up x National Assembly. The bay fillies last start came earlier this month in an eight furlong allowance caliber start in Colorado over the turf. The filly finished sixth in this race after starting the race running along in eighth and making a late run in the stretch for the wire. The filly set a speed figure of ninety-six for her efforts in the mile long race. The Tai-Bo Stakes will be this fillies stakes debut after a career running predominantly in the allowance ranks. Her lifetime best speed figure to date is a one hundred three which was recorded over a good turf track in Colorado where the filly finished second. The bay filly has started over an off track three times in her career. Two of these starts resulted in triple digit speed figures and the filly finishing second. Her one off the board finish over the slop came over the dirt as a two year old.
Sorria’s Picks
Win: Fandepgroom
Place: Can’t Hardly Wait
Show: Seeking A Native