Poster puts unbeaten record on the line in Sam F. Davis

Godolphin's deep bench of Kentucky Derby (G1) prospects includes Poster, the likely favorite in the $250,000 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.

The 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis marks the return to action for the son of Munnings trained by Eoin Harty. Poster won his first two starts on grass last season, and then successfully transferred his talent to the dirt with a photo-finish victory in the nine-furlong Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct in early December.

Owen Almighty is out to make amends for his disqualification from first in the Jan. 11 Pasco S. at Tampa over seven furlongs. While Owen Almighty was relegated to fifth due to interference on the far turn, moving up to the top two places were returning rivals Naughty Rascal, now a three-time stakes winner, and Very Bold.

Owen Almighty captured his first two outings last season, including the Ellis Park Juvenile, before concluding his campaign with a second-place effort behind Jonathan's Way in the Iroquois (G3).

The Coolmore-owned Treaty of Rome rallied to finish a neck second in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Park in his season debut. The form of that race was not flattered, though, when the winning Guns Loaded trailed home seventh in last week's Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream.

Exiting a more productive race is Dr Ruben M, trained by two-time Kentucky Derby-winner Doug O'Neill. Dr Ruben M was a distant fourth in the Remington Springboard Mile most recently, a race won by subsequent Smarty Jones S. winner Coal Battle over eventual Southwest (G3) scorer Speed King.

WinStar Farm, which has won five previous editions of the Sam F. Davis, is co-owner of second-time starter John Hancock, who landed his debut by three lengths going six furlongs at Tampa on Jan. 8. The son of Constitution is a half-brother to the Ashland (G1)-winning filly Speech.

The Sam F. Davis field also includes Smoken Boy, a leading juvenile in Puerto Rico last season, and the maidens Camp Hale and Gateskeeper.

The Sam F. Davis offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 to the respective top five finishers.

The $150,000 Suncoast S., a Road to the Kentucky Oaks series prep won in recent years by champion Nest and future Grade 1 winner Power Squeeze, has attracted a field of eight.

La Cara, who rallied from near the back of a 14-filly field to take the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs last September, will be making her first start since a distant fifth-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar. Another previous prep winner, Her Laugh, improved to 2-for-2 with a wire-to-wire triumph in the Untapable S. at Fair Grounds on Dec. 21.

Others lining up include last-out Gasparilla S. winner Dancing Magic and Adirondack (G3) runner-up Italian Soiree, who returns to the dirt after going unplaced in grass stakes at Woodbine and Keeneland.

The Suncoast, contested at one mile 40 yards, offers Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 to the respective top five finishers.