Saturday’s $400,000, Grade 2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs is an important qualifying points prep for the 2023 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. The 1 1/16-mile race on Tampa Bay’s dirt main track offers a total of 100 points to help gain a spot in the starting gate on May 6 at Churchill Downs, distributed to the top five finishers on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis.

One Tampa Bay Derby winner has trained on to win the Kentucky Derby: Street Sense in 2007. Super Saver, third in the 2010 Tampa Bay Derby, won that year’s run for the roses, and more recently, the race has produced such notable horses as 2017 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets winner Tapwrit, 2016 Belmont Stakes runner-up Destin, and 2019 Kentucky Derby third-place finisher and Belmont Stakes runner-up Tacitus, each of whom won the Tampa Bay Derby. Read about some of the best Tampa Bay Derby winners here.

The 43^rd Tampa Bay Derby will be shown live on “America’s Day at the Races” on FS2 and also on FanDuel TV, with a scheduled post time of 5:15 p.m. ET.

Read on for information about the Tampa Bay Derby contenders:

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1. Lord Miles (12-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Paco Lopez

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owner: Vegso Racing Stable

Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $40,600

Earnings per start: $13,533

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 81

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Curlin – Lady Esme, by Majestic Warrior

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This son of Hall of Famer Curlin seeks to regain his top form in Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby as he ships in from Gulfstream Park off of a well-beaten sixth-place effort in the Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 4. He had an awkward start in that 1 1/16-mile race and saved ground into the second turn but never threatened in the stretch as the 3.30-1 third betting choice in a field of eight. Prior to the Holy Bull, Lord Miles flashed talent at Gulfstream, winning his six-furlong debut by 5 ¾ lengths in November and then finishing a rallying third in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes going a one-turn mile on Jan. 1. He’s trained well at Gulfstream for Saffie Joseph Jr. since the Holy Bull and certainly has potential to rebound from his dull effort, and it’s worth noting that he’ll race with blinkers removed after adding them in the Holy Bull. If he does bounce back, Lord Miles has an upset chance in the Tampa Bay Derby. His dam, Lady Esme, is a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to three stakes winners in route races, including 2017 champion 2-year-old filly Caledonia Road. 

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2. Classic Car Wash (8-1)

Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo

Trainer: Mark Casse

Owner: Gary Barber

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $83,550

Earnings per start: $20,888

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 86

Kentucky Derby points: 6

Pedigree: Noble Bird – East Lake Classic, by Orientate

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This Florida-bred gelding racing for the successful owner-trainer combo of Gary Barber and Mark Casse finished a solid third at 12-1 odds in the Feb. 11 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, the local prep for the Tampa Bay Derby. He was reserved patiently by Emisael Jaramillo off of the pace through the backstretch and angled out for a bid on the far turn. He continued on well in the stretch to check in 2 ¾ lengths behind Sam F. Davis winner Litigate and 1 ½ lengths behind runner-up Groveland. He’ll face the latter again Saturday as well as some formidable Gulfstream Park shippers, which should keep his odds in the appealing 8-1 to 10-1 range. Classic Car Wash does not have a blueblood pedigree, but his two wins this winter prior to the Sam F. Davis were open-length romps at Gulfstream Park (one on dirt at seven furlongs, and one at 1 mile and 70 yards on Gulfstream’s synthetic track). He’s a good candidate to show up and run his race again Saturday, and as such is worthy of using in exacta and trifecta tickets. Hall of Famer Mark Casse won the 2012 Tampa Bay Derby with Prospective and the 2021 edition with Helium.

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3. Classic Legacy (6-1)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owner: Bruce Lunsford

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $79,950

Earnings per start: $19,988

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 86

Kentucky Derby points: 4

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Distorted Legacy, by Distorted Humor

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Trainer Bill Mott and owner Bruce Lunsford kicked off 2023 with a big win in late January when their horse Art Collector won the lucrative Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat. They’ll take another shot at getting a horse on the Kentucky Derby trail when they send this half-brother to Art Collector to the starting gate for the Tampa Bay Derby after he checked in fourth in the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 11. Classic Legacy stalked the pace in the Sam F. Davis while racing three or four wide and made up some late ground to nearly nab third, finishing a head behind Classic Car Wash at 10.30-1 odds. The Sam F. Davis was his first start at age 3 and a good comeback after he closed out his juvenile campaign with an eye-catching 3 ½-length maiden win in a seven-furlong race at Aqueduct in December. If he can improve off of that effort and boost his Equibase Speed Figure around 10 points or so, Classic Legacy is another contender with a win chance in this well-matched renewal of the Tampa Bay Derby. Junior Alvarado, Mott’s first-call jockey, rode Classic Legacy in his past three starts but stays at Gulfstream Park Saturday to ride Frank’s Rockette in the Hurricane Bertie Stakes. His replacement at Tampa is reigning Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr., who won his first Tampa Bay Derby last year aboard front-running Classic Causeway. Hall of Famer Mott has won the Tampa Bay Derby twice, way back in 1997 with Zede and more recently in 2019 with multimillionaire Tacitus. 

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4. Groveland (6-1)

Jockey: Daniel Centeno

Trainer: Eoin Harty

Owner: Godolphin

Career record: 5 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $67,110

Earnings per start: $13,422

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 89

Kentucky Derby points: 8

Pedigree: Street Sense – Lucknow, by Medaglia d’Oro

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Locally-based Groveland has enjoyed success all winter long at Tampa Bay Downs, hitting the board in all four of his starts and maintaining good form as the competition level increased. The son of Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense broke his maiden in his second start on Tampa’s main track, gamely winning a one-mile and 40-yard race by a neck in late December, and he then came back and ran second by a length to Prairie Hawk in a Jan. 13 allowance-optional claiming race at the same distance. After that, trainer Eoin Harty moved him up into stakes company in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis Stakes, and Groveland outran his 21.60-1 odds to finish a clear second behind Litigate and ahead of Classic Car Wash, Classic Legacy, and four other horses he’ll meet again in the Tampa Bay Derby (including Prairie Hawk). He’s showed admirable consistency so far, but the challenge gets tougher Saturday. An Equibase Speed Figure in the mid-90s or higher has historically been required to win the Tampa Bay Derby, and Groveland is within striking range of that. He should carry attractive post-time odds as well. Jockey Daniel Centeno is the all-time leader in wins and stakes wins at Tampa Bay Downs. He’s won the Tampa Bay Derby twice, aboard Musket Man in 2009 and Ring Weekend in 2014.

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5. Mikey Bananas (30-1)

Jockey: Pablo Morales

Trainer: Tim Hamm

Owner: Perrine Time Thoroughbreds

Career record: 7 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $43,483

Earnings per start: $6,212

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 88

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Constitution – Music and Lyrics, by Fed Biz

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: A $27,000 yearling purchase, Mikey Bananas has raced respectably through seven career starts, the most in this year’s Tampa Bay Derby field. He’s been moved around to different tracks and assigned to different surfaces and distances, and generally has not embarrassed himself as long as he’s stayed out of stakes races, where his two career off-the-board finishes have occurred. He’ll face elite competition again on Saturday, though, and this gelding will be one of the longest shots in the Tampa Bay Derby when the starting gates open. He enters off of a runner-up finish in a one-mile and 40-yard allowance-optional claiming race at Tampa, where he was defeated by 7 ¾ lengths but did earn an 88 Equibase Speed Figure, which is easily his career best. Mikey Bananas’ M.O. on the track throughout his career so far is to pass tired foes late and earn a piece of the purse, and that will be difficult to do Saturday in a race that didn’t attract a lot of speed horses.

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6. Tapit Trice (8-5)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable

Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $100,150

Earnings per start: $33,383

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 96

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Tapit – Danzatrice, by Dunkirk

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Even though he’s making his stakes debut, Tapit Trice figures to be a clear post-time favorite in Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby. His final race of 2022 and his 3-year-old unveiling last month at Gulfstream Park are simply a notch above the career résumés of every other horse in the field. This son of Tapit was bought by Whisper Hill Farm’s Mandy Pope for $1.3 million at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale, with breeder Gainesway retaining an interest. After finishing a solid third in his November debut at Aqueduct, he came back on the same track and at the same one-turn-mile distance and outfinished Slip Mahoney for a game maiden victory that netted a 96 Equibase Speed Figure. Brought back after 2 ½ months in a one-turn-mile allowance-optional claiming race Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park, Tapit Trice took off at the top of the stretch from a stalking spot and won by eight lengths over stablemate and fellow Tampa Bay Derby entrant Shesterkin, earning another 96 figure. Tapit Trice’s win last December at Aqueduct has been flattered by Slip Mahoney’s subsequent dominant maiden victory Jan. 21 and sneaky-good runner-up finish in last Saturday’s Gotham Stakes. Furthermore, he’s facing a Tampa Bay Derby field that is not exactly stacked with prior graded stakes winners – only one, in fact. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has pointed Tapit Trice to this race since his win last month and handling two turns for the first time should be no problem for him at all as Tapit is one of the best stamina sires in North America and his dam, Danzatrice, won three stakes races at a mile or longer. This colt has resided in the upper echelon of Kentucky Derby future-book contenders over the past several weeks after that flashy sophomore debut, and we’ll see if the hype is justified Saturday. Pletcher has won a record five Tampa Bay Derbys: Limehouse (2004); Verrazano (2013); Carpe Diem (2015); Destin (2016); and Tapwrit (2017). Saez finished second in last year’s edition on Grantham.

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7. Freedom Road (15-1)

Jockey: Hector Diaz Jr.

Trainer: Greg Sacco

Owners: Pinnacle Racing Team and Madaket Stables

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $79,600

Earnings per start: $15,920

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 84

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Malibu Moon – Lovable Lady, by Not For Love

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Freedom Road heads into the Tampa Bay Derby in improving form, having notched Equibase Speed Figures in the 80s in his two most recent starts and winning his previous race, a six-furlong allowance optional claimer at Tampa on Jan. 21, by 1 ½ lengths. Going back to his juvenile season, the son of the late Malibu Moon won his debut sprinting at Monmouth Park but was defeated by a combined 19 ¾ lengths in his next two starts when competing in one-mile stakes races. His dam was a multiple stakes-winning sprinter but Freedom Road does have some accomplished route stakes winners deeper in his pedigree; that said, he’s facing a big class test Saturday even with his recent success and will be one of the longest shots in the field. Filling out the superfecta at 30-1 odds or higher appears to be his ceiling.

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8. Dreaming of Kona (30-1)

Jockey: Scott Speith

Trainer: Aldana Gonzalez

Owners: Aldana Gonzalez Racing, Lisa Ballou, and Steve Ballou

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $113,420

Earnings per start: $28,355

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 83

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Fast Anna – Pliant, by Maria’s Mon

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Dreaming of Kona seeks redemption in the Tampa Bay Derby after finishing a fading seventh of 11 in the Sam F. Davis Stakes last month on this track. He entered the Sam F. Davis off of a win via disqualification in the one-turn-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes on New Year’s Day at Gulfstream Park (Lord Miles was third), and he fashioned a similar stalking trip in the 1 1/16-mile, two-turn race at Tampa after overcoming some early bumping. He came up empty when asked to engage the leaders on the far turn, however, and overall this son of Grade 1-placed sprinter Fast Anna may be best suited to one-turn races maxing out at a mile. On the positive side, Dreaming of Kona has been training very well at Tampa over the past month. At the very least, he could be positioned among the front rank of horses vying for the lead through the backstretch with most of the speed drawn to his outside. It would be a surprise to see him among the win contenders when the field turns for home, however.

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9. Shesterkin (9-2)

Jockey: Edgard Zayas

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner: Robert LaPenta

Career record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $57,840

Earnings per start: $28,920

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 84

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Violence – Freedom Star, by Street Cry

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Tapit Trice is getting all of the headlines in advance of Saturday’s big race, but this stablemate is not without a shot at the win. Shesterkin won his career debut impressively Dec. 31 in a seven-furlong sprint at Gulfstream Park, overcoming some bumping in early stretch to score by 2 ¼ lengths. Then he matched up against Tapit Trice in a one-turn-mile allowance-optional claiming race on Feb. 4 and was actually the 9-10 favorite when the gates opened. Shesterkin dueled for the early lead with eventual third-place finisher Live Is Life and overtook him early on the turn. He then tussled briefly with Tapit Trice when that foe moved up to engage, but he tired in the stretch to finish eight lengths behind. This colt is a son of hot sire Violence, who is also the sire of Todd Pletcher-trained early Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, and his dam, Freedom Star, won a graded stakes at 1 1/16 miles. He’ll be adding blinkers for the Tampa Bay Derby, and that could help him conserve some energy early on in the race as he settles in among the front-runners. Look for jockey Edgard Zayas, who’ll be riding Shesterkin for the first time, to have his mount in position to take the lead at the quarter-pole, and it would not be a shock at all to see this runner and Tapit Trice duking it out for the win in the homestretch. As noted above, Todd Pletcher holds the record for wins in the Tampa Bay Derby with five, and his colt Super Saver followed up a third-place finish in this race with a victory two starts later in the Kentucky Derby back in 2010.

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10. Champions Dream (20-1)

Jockey: Antonio Gallardo

Trainer: Mark Casse

Owner: Rosedown Racing Stables

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $170,250

Earnings per start: $34,050

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 85

Kentucky Derby points: 1

Pedigree: Justify – Dancinginherdreams, by Tapit

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This son of Triple Crown winner Justify is the wild-card entrant in the Tampa Bay Derby, wheeling back out of an effort in the Sam F. Davis Stakes that his connections are surely drawing a line through. Sent off as the third betting choice at 6.40-1 odds, Champions Dream sat just behind the pace in the Sam F. Davis through the backstretch but started to backtrack on the far turn and was eased to finish last of 11. Prior to that, he had nearly won the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes on Jan. 14, losing by a neck to Zydeceaux in his 3-year-old debut and also his first start for two-time Tampa Bay Derby-winning trainer Mark Casse. Champions Dream won two of three starts as a juvenile in 2022 for former trainer Danny Gargan, including the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct last November. This colt obviously has some talent, and he’ll get a chance to remind fans and horseplayers of that Saturday evening. His dam, Dancinginherdreams, by Tapit, did her best racing around a mile and won a graded stakes at that distance, but overall Champions Dream has the pedigree to handle two turns. A bounce-back effort makes him a threat to hit the board in the Tampa Bay Derby, although he’s a longshot to win.  

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11. Zydeceaux (20-1)

Jockey: Samuel Marin

Trainer: Ramon Minguet

Owner: Stud Carmen Cristina

Career record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $159,540

Earnings per start: $26,590

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 85

Kentucky Derby points: 2

Pedigree: Cajun Breeze – Wink At the Boys, by Graeme Hall

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This speedy Florida-bred gelding was compromised by the far outside post position in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, and he had to be rushed out of the gate by jockey Samuel Marin to gain the lead and secure his most comfortable spot, which he maintained into the far turn before weakening to finish fifth of 11 at odds of 43.80-1. All things considered, that was a solid performance, but unfortunately, Zydeceaux will break from an outside post again in the Tampa Bay Derby against an arguably tougher field, and that makes his chances of pulling the upset even more remote. Overall, Zydeceaux has assembled a solid race record through six starts – including a game victory over Champions Dream in the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes Jan. 14 – and the Sam F. Davis was his first off-the-board finish, coming in his two-turn debut. He’ll try to steal the Tampa Bay Derby on the lead, but both Shesterkin and Tapit Trice figure to be very close behind, and Champions Dream and Prairie Hawk could provide early pressure as well. This $15,000 yearling purchase has already turned a nice profit for his owners, and adding to it with fourth- or fifth-place money in the Tampa Bay Derby should be considered a success.

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12. Prairie Hawk (20-1)

Jockey: Samy Camacho

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owners: Peachtree Stable and WinStar Farm

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $30,700

Earnings per start: $7,675

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Curlin – Princess Ash, by Indian Charlie

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This second Tampa Bay Derby contender trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. may be somewhat overlooked come post time. Prairie Hawk, like several others, comes in off of a start in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, where he raced in midpack after trouble at the start and had no response when asked in the turn by jockey Samy Camacho and retreated to finish ninth of 11, 19 ½ lengths behind winner Litigate. Needless to say, he’ll need to race much better to have any chance at hitting the board Saturday, and the far outside draw does him no favors. On the positive side, Prairie Hawk won his two starts prior to the Sam F. Davis, and both of those came around two turns racing one mile and 40 yards. He earned an Equibase Speed Figure of 84 in the first of those and a 91 in the second, a nice forward progression in speed figures that he’ll try to recover in the Tampa Bay Derby. He’s also a half-brother (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to 2018 Tampa Bay Derby winner Quip. Look for Camacho to urge Prairie Hawk out of the gate and get him forwardly placed in order to move inside and save ground while racing just off the lead, all the while trying to reserve enough energy for a stretch run. Winning is a tall task given the circumstances but the price on Prairie Hawk should be right. Camacho won the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby aboard 49.20-1 longshot King Guillermo, and breeder and co-owner WinStar Farm co-owned both Quip and 2014 Tampa Bay Derby winner Carpe Diem.

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