Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
World of Trouble atop marquee
An outstanding 3-year-old season for World of Trouble began at Tampa Bay Downs, and that’s where it will end. World of Trouble will make his seventh and final start of the year Saturday in the $125,000 Marion County, one of four stakes on Cotillion Festival Day at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.
Trained by Jason Servis for a three-way partnership, World of Trouble has developed into one of the fastest horses in North America, having earned a 118 Beyer Speed Figure when finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint six weeks ago at Churchill Downs.
“We were kind of looking for a soft spot with as big a number as he ran in the Breeders’ Cup,” said Servis. “We wanted to get that [potential bounce] out of the way.”
Servis noted that after Saturday’s race World of Trouble will have plenty of time before he runs in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint on Jan. 26.
World of Trouble, with Antonio Gallardo to ride, will be heavily favored against fellow Florida-bred 3-year-olds in the seven-furlong Marion County, which drew a field of nine as the seventh of 10 Saturday races. First post is 12:25 p.m. Eastern, with the Marion County going at 3:22.
Purchased privately last fall after two promising races at Gulfstream, World of Trouble is now owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables. The bay colt won the Jan. 20 Pasco Stakes at Tampa by a whopping 13 3/4 lengths in his first start for Servis, then faded to third when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles in the March 10 Tampa Bay Derby.
One solitary race around two turns was all Servis needed to see. Since that race, only sprints have been on the agenda for World of Trouble, culminating with the narrow defeat behind Stormy Liberal in the Nov. 3 BC Turf Sprint.
“We sent him to Palm Meadows right after the Breeders’ Cup and he’s done really well,” said Servis. “Obviously he’s run well at Tampa before, so hopefully this sets us up for another big year with him.”
The filly counterpart to the Marion County is the $125,000 City of Ocala, while the two other stakes, the $100,000 Inaugural and $100,000 Sandpiper, are open events for 2-year-olds but $50,000 of each purse is available only to registered Florida-breds.
Here’s a rundown of those other stakes:
City of Ocala (race 4, 1:52)
Broadway Run, trained by John Terranova, has never run a bad race while competing primarily in stakes during a five-race career, and figures to come favored over six other fillies in this seven-furlong race. Gallardo will be aboard.
Broadway Run’s best effort resulted in a front-running victory in the Coronation Cup over the Saratoga turf in late July. Still, the daughter of Prospective has never raced on dirt, and that keeps the door open for what would be a mild upset. Florida Fuego, also moving turf to dirt, could pose a late threat if Broadway Run is softened up by a fast pace, while Reagan’s Rose and Catoria also appear to match up well.
Inaugural (race 6, 2:52)
Dazzling Truths will be wheeling back on just six days’ rest when he faces eight other 2-yearold colts and geldings as one of the logical plays in this sixfurlong race, which lacks a clearcut favorite. Trained by Kerry Zavash, the Kentucky-bred gelding was good enough to win an allowance at Churchill Downs in September, then finished fourth last Saturday in the Buffalo Man at Gulfstream Park.
Among the competition is another Kentucky-bred, Wallace, winner of a minor stakes in August over the Woodbine turf, and the New Jersey-bred Regally Irish, most recently second in a Laurel Park allowance for trainer Graham Motion. Only three starters are Florida-bred.
Sandpiper (race 9, 4:22)
As one of four Florida-breds in a field of 11 fillies, Lovesick is eligible for the full $100,000 purse – and she could be the favorite. She ships across the peninsula for trainer David Fawkes after staying unbeaten in two career starts in winning a statebred stakes last month at Gulfstream West.
Into the South, most recently third versus male rivals at Churchill, is among the chief threats, along with Fashion Faux Pas, one of a handful of last-out maiden winners in the field