Purple Egg, who missed an intended start in the Gulfstream Park Derby on New
Year’s Day due to illness, returns to action Saturday in the $100,000
Pasco at
Tampa Bay Downs. The seven-furlong contest for three-year-olds is a prep for the
upcoming Grade 3 Sam F. Davis and Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.
An undefeated gelded son of Lion Heart, Purple Heart was a decisive maiden
winner at Monmouth and allowance victor at Parx prior to his stakes debut in the
December 1 Inaugural at Tampa Bay. Rating five lengths behind at the first call,
the Jane Cibelli trainee showed an impressive stretch kick to beat heavy
favorite Brave Dave going away by a length.
A stakes winner in Canada last year, Dynamic Star later finished second in
the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity before finishing sixth of nine in the Grade 1
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his dirt debut. The son of Sky Mesa endured some
trouble during the stretch run of that 1 1/16-mile event, and will add blinkers
for the first time in the Pasco. He is coupled with Sky Commander, who break his
maiden on turf at Woodbine in October.
Others of note among the field of 10 are Falling Sky, who rebounded from his
fourth in the Inaugural to take a 6 1/2-furlong Gulfstream allowance on December
15; Hard to Name, a Parx allowance winner who flopped when trying turf in the
Dania Beach at Gulfstream last time; and the Darrin Miller-trained Divine
Ambition, who captured his debut by eight lengths at Turfway Park in September.
The $100,000
Gasparilla,
the filly counterpart to the Pasco, also attracted a field of 10. The likely
favorite in the seven-furlong test is Vitameta, second by a half-length to Cor
Cor in the December 1 Sandpiper over six furlongs. The Street Sense filly
previously bested allowance rivals at Calder by five lengths.
Two-time winner Floral Sky has disappointed in two prior stakes attempts —
in the Grade 3 Debutante and Grade 3 Delta Downs Princess — but looks among the
swiftest on paper. Another with back class is Martha’s Moon, who captured stakes
at Calder and Delaware Park last fall.
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