Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Kentucky Derby Prep Race Results: Odysseus Wins The Tampa Bay Derby
Posted on Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Odysseus rallied from between horses in deep stretch Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs to win the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), one of the Kentucky Derby prep races, by a nose over Schoolyard Dreams while horse betting favorite Super Saver was third.
Trained by Thomas Albertrani and ridden by Rajiv Maragh, Odysseus covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.31 while winning by a head bob at the finish line. It was the closest finish in the Tampa Bay Derby’s 30 runnings.
Kentucky Derby hopefuls Odysseus paid $6.00, $3.40 and $2.40. Schoolyard Dreams paid $5.00 and $2.80 and Super Saver paid $2.40.
“I really believed that we might have just come up short by a bob,” race horse trainer Thomas Albertrani said.
So did jockey Rajiv Maragh, who pulled beside Schoolyard Dreams and jockey Jeremy Rose after the finish line and said, “I think you won it, Jeremy.”
Racing comfortably in second entering the far turn behind Super Saver, Odysseus suddenly dropped back to fourth when passed on the outside by Schoolyard Dreams and appeared to be beaten entering the stretch.
“I thought we were beat,” admitted Satish Sanan, owner of Odysseus.
But jockey Rajiv Maragh never quit on Odysseus, who worked his way back into the race and rallied between Schoolyard Dreams and Super Saver before sticking his nose in front at the wire before a crowd of 11,025.
A Kentucky-bred son of Malibu Moon purchased by Sanan’s Padua Stable at auction last March for $250,000, Odysseus finished second in his horse racing career debut October 31 in only start as a 2-year-old while sprinting at Aqueduct.
The colt has since reeled off three consecutive victories. He broke his maiden January 14 across seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park and then prepped for the Tampa Bay Derby by winning an optional claiming event February 17 at Tampa around two turns by 15 lengths.
Odysseus appeared to be in a perfect spot down the backstretch, racing second behind a 47.02-second half-mile set by Super Saver. But as soon as Schoolyard Dreams made a bold move three-wide approaching the final turn, Odysseus backed out of the race and was suddenly losing ground.
“I thought we were in charge,” jockey Rajiv Maragh said. “But suddenly (Schoolyard Dreams) swept by us on the outside. I was surprised and so was the horse and he hesitated and we were suddenly behind horses we might have been in front of.
“But he showed his class and got running again. I wasn’t sure we were going to find a path, and then it opened up just a few yards from the finish.”
Albertrani said he wasn’t sure where he would run Odysseus next before the Kentucky Derby 2010 on May 1.
“I want to see how he trains over the next two weeks before we make a decision,” he said. “I was hoping he would show us the same type of turn of foot he did (Feb. 17). I don’t know if he was trying to tell us something today.”
Tags: Gleam of Hope, Odysseus, Schoolyard Dreams, Slammy Boy, Super Saver, Tuvia's Force, Uptowncharlybrown
"Kentucky Derby Prep Race Results: Odysseus Wins The Tampa Bay Derby" was posted on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Kentucky Derby, Race Tracks News, Results & Payouts, Stakes Races, Tampa Bay Downs, Triple Crown, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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