Further Ado Headlines Field in 46th ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby

Further Ado's return to the 46th ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby puts Brad H. Cox and Spendthrift Farm on the marquee for a 1 1/16-mile dirt test that awards 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and carries a $400,000 purse at Tampa Bay Downs on Festival Day 46. The colt’s form and fitness will shape whether this race becomes a true turning point on the road to Churchill Downs.

Further Ado arrives with a striking résumé: a 20-length maiden-breaking route at Keeneland on Oct. 10 and a win in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29, that latter victory by 1 3/4 lengths at the Tampa Bay Derby distance of 1 1/16 miles. Breeder John C. Oxley’s Gun Runner colt has been unraced since Nov. 29 but recorded a 5-furlong breeze in 49 2/5 seconds at Payson Park Training Center in Indiantown, and HorseRacingNation lists his Kentucky Jockey Club figure as 1st (104) with a rating of 7.67. BloodHorse framed the question directly: "With his figure 'bounce' out of the way in the Kentucky Jockey Club, can he run back to his numbers from his maiden win? The expectation is that he can."

Chad C. Brown brings Canaletto as a clear stalking rival. Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter M. Brant and Brook T. Smith, the Into Mischief colt broke his maiden in a one-turn mile at Gulfstream on Jan. 25 by eight lengths. HorseRacingNation records that performance as 1st (110) with a 6.34 rating. BloodHorse celebrated the effort: "Canaletto's Jan. 25 maiden victory in his lone start over a one-turn mile at Gulfstream was a beauty" and emphasized the colt's "stakes ability and the potential to handle longer races."

Todd A. Pletcher's nominations loom large as well, with Renegade noted as the dominant winner of the Sam F. Davis, Nearly listed as the Florida-bred winner of the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 31 at Gulfstream, and Jackson Hole coming off an impressive conditional allowance win Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds. Offtrackbetting urged attention to Pletcher's slate with the line, "So why not start with Pletcher," underscoring the trainer's depth in the 3-year-old division.

Saffie Joseph’s quartet includes Solitude Dude, who improved to 3-for-3 after an 8-length victory in the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 6 and a Swale Stakes score on Jan. 31 at Gulfstream, though he has yet to race beyond one turn. Chad Brown also nominated Emerging Market, who broke his maiden on the Feb. 7 Sam F. Davis undercard for Klaravich Stables. Brad Cox’s other nominee Confessional finished a puzzling seventh in the Sam F. Davis.

Field size and official entries remain speculative as final scratches and post positions are pending, and HorseRacingNation currently flags contenders such as Epic Desire as unlikely, Talkin as probable, The Puma as possible and Hulkamania as possible after a Feb. 8 Tampa Bay maiden win. Tampa Bay Downs framed the stakes with the sport’s history in mind, asking, "Will the road to the Kentucky Derby go through the Grade III, $400,000 ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby, as it did for Street Sense in 2007 and Super Saver in 2010?" Whoever crosses the wire first on March 7 will earn 50 Derby points and either cement or complicate the narrative for trainers Cox, Pletcher and Brown heading into the spring classics.