Maiden winners try new act

A pair of first-level allowances for turf milers anchor a solid Saturday card at Tampa Bay Downs.

Races 6 and 8 are co-features on a 10-race program that starts at 12:12 p.m. Eastern, with turf racing sure to be held, given a forecast of dry conditions in the Oldsmar, Fla., region.

This is the fourth straight weekend without a stakes at Tampa, but that span will end next Saturday (Jan. 16) with a trio of stakes – the $75,000 Pasco, $75,000 Gasparilla, and $50,000 Wayward Lass.

Unlike some other tracks in action, Tampa continues to admit ontrack fans adhering to strict pandemic-related protocols.

Here’s a quick look at the top Saturday races, each worth $22,750:

Race 6

Off last-out victories in the maiden-special ranks, Joe Man Joe (76) and Arzak (75) earned field-high Beyer Speed Figures amid a lineup of nine 3-yearolds – but neither has experience going two turns on the grass.

In fact, Joe Man Joe has raced just once on turf, finishing eighth sprinting at Kentucky Downs in September when trained by Ian Wilkes. The Lucky Seven Stable of the Mackin family turned the son of Uncle Mo over to trainer David Fisher for his last start, a victory over the main track at Tampa on Nov. 27.

Arzak makes his first start on turf. He wired a full field of maidens sprinting over the Woodbine synthetic in his second and most recent start Nov. 8.

Arzak, based at Gulfstream Park with trainer Mike Trombetta, figures to be part of an honest pace. Three others also were prominent throughout their last-out wins – Night Things, Freelance, and Kick It Charlie. Night Things, trained by Mike Stidham, is entered here for the optional $75,000 claiming tag, while the other two won for considerably lower claiming prices.

A too-fast pace could set the table for Joe Man Joe or perhaps the rail-drawn Fast Draw Kid, who has been training forwardly for Graham Motion since shipping south from Maryland.

Race 8

Motion has a top contender in this race for fillies and mares in Mary’s France, an import from France whose lone attempt on this continent resulted in a fifthplace finish, beaten a length, in a first-level allowance on turf in September at Belmont. She has regrouped since that race at Fair Hill and more recently at Palm Meadows.

Daniel Centeno, who reached the 3,000-win milestone last Saturday, has the call on Mary’s France, who was assigned post 8 in a full field of 10.

Top challengers include Aziza, a gutsy last-out winner for trainer Kelsey Danner; Global Brand, a Glen Hill Farm homebred with some late kick; and Sylvanella, making her first start in nearly 10 months and trained by Christophe Clement.