Catalina Red faces class check in Sam F. Davis

Catalina Red puts his two-for-two mark at Tampa on the line (S V Photography) Winner of the Inaugural and Pasco at Tampa Bay Downs this meet, Catalina Red (Munnings) will face a deeper cast of rivals while he stretches out to two turns in Saturday’s $250,000 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. The Chad Stewart-trained colt will break from the rail against 11 foes in the 1 1/16-mile event with Daniel Centeno. Catalina Red placed in his first three starts, including two on turf, at Gulfstream Park and Gulfstream Park West before breaking his maiden by a 7 1/4-length margin in the December 6 Inaugural at six furlongs. He came back with a hard-fought neck decision in the seven-furlong Pasco on December 27 and was flattered when runner-up X Y Jet (Kantharos) came back to finish a half-length second in last Saturday’s Hutcheson (G3) at Gulfstream. Ami’s Flatter (Flatter) ships into Gulfstream for trainer Josie Carroll following a fast-finishing second in the January 3 Mucho Macho Man, his first attempt against winners and only his second career outing. The bay colt will attempt to keep improving off the encouraging performance with a returning Luis Contreras.

Ocean Knight (Curlin), a 4 1/4-length debut winner at Aqueduct December 13
for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, merits respect in his stakes debut. Irad Ortiz
Jr. will be in for the mount. Todd Pletcher will be represented by recent maiden
scorer Royal Son (Tiznow), who was elevated to first via disqualification at
Gulfstream on January 8. John Velazquez rides.

Other runners include stakes runner-up Brother Bobo (Kantharos); Bears
Personality (Awesome Again), who returns to action for conditioner Reade Baker
after concluding 2014 with a pair of easy wins at Woodbine; My Johnny Be Good
(Colonel John), 14-length runaway winner over allowance/optional claiming
opponents at Tampa on December 28; and smart Tampa maiden winner Bandages (Any
Given Saturday).

Eleven sophomore fillies were entered for the $100,000
Suncoast at a mile and
40 yards. Juvenile stakes winner A.P.’s Glory will attempt to bounce back from a
fourth-place showing as the favorite in the December 27 Gasparilla at Tampa.
Chris Emigh takes over the reins for Jimmy DiVito.

Irish Jasper (First Defence) and Huasca (Tiz Wonderful), the top two
respective finishers from the Gasparilla, both return in the Suncoast. The
overflow field of 11 includes one also-eligible.

The $150,000
Endeavour (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf affair for fillies and mares,
will also be offered. Testa Rossi (Dr Fong), a smashing 3 1/2-length winner of
the Florida Oaks (G3) over the course in her 2014 debut, will return to Tampa
for trainer Chad Brown. She makes her first appearance since a disappointing
seventh as the favorite in the Mrs. Revere (G2) last November.

The 14-horse field also contains Hard Not to Like (Hard Spun), who will make
her first appearance since upsetting the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland last
April. The six-year-old mare sold for $1.5 million at the Keeneland November
sale and makes her first start for Christophe Clement. Multiple Grade 3 heroine
I’m Already Sexy (Ready’s Image) can’t be dismissed from consideration and Grade
1 queen Rosalind (Broken Vow) will be seeking a turnaround in form after
concluding last season with four consecutive unplaced finishes.

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