Arnett sending pair in sprint

OLDSMAR, Fla. – A pair of first-level allowances with $16,000 claiming options anchor a nine-race card as another four-day race week gets under way Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs.

Jon Arnett, now in his third year at Tampa after decades of wintering in the far Southwest and Midwest, has the uncoupled duo of All Good Times and Clay’s Moon Stone in race 8, the second of those co-features. They’re the only two starters entered for the optional tag among a field of seven fillies and mares going seven furlongs.

“We’ve had them both about a year, and it’s been pretty difficult finding the right conditions for them,” Arnett said. “We’re just trying to put them in where they can win. If they happen to get claimed, well, we just move on.”

All Good Times and Clay’s Moon Stone both are sitting on ready after getting one start apiece under their belts at a Tampa meet that began Nov. 23. They’re among a core of lukewarm favorites in a wellmatched field, along with St. Pat’s Day and Send for Me. All Good Times, an 8-year-old Harlington mare, has by far the most starts (64) and earnings ($343,482) in the group. She’ll break from post 1 with Pablo Morales aboard.

“Neither of our horses are stakes horses, but they do try hard,” said Arnett, a 61-yearold Arizona native who has collected 2,250 wins in a career dating to 1979. “The good thing about this track at Tampa is how you can leg horses up for when we take them up to Iowa for the summertime. I love the weather and the racing here.”

The earlier Wednesday allowance (race 6) drew a similarly competitive group of older males, with all but one of the seven starters having been assigned odds ranging from 3-1 to 5-1 by Tampa linemaker Mark Luther. My Man Vito, returning to the allowance ranks for John Rigattieri after being narrowly defeated in an open $20,000 claimer last out, would seem to stand as good a chance as any.

Both allowances offer base purses of $25,500, with an additional $1,500 in each spot available to registered Floridabreds.

First post is 12:28 p.m. Eastern. Sunshine and a high near 80 are in the local forecast.

The highlight of the week will be a pair of $100,000 turf-sprint stakes on Saturday, the Tampa Turf Dash and Lightning City.

Tita Mimosa a first-out winner

Overshadowed somewhat on a busy Festival Preview card Saturday at Tampa was a debut victory by Tita Mimosa, who held on to win the fifth race in a three-way photo after making all the pace.

Tita Mimosa is an Irish-bred 3-year-old filly by Uncle Mo out of Needmore Flattery, making her a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Taiba. She earned a 69 Beyer Speed Figure in getting six furlongs in 1:10.99 with Antonio Gallardo aboard.

“Antonio said she was being a little green in the stretch,” said her trainer, Darien Rodriguez. “Hopefully, she can learn from this and go on.”