The Davis Stakes (Grade 3) (KYD)- $250.000 Purse
TAM- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 11, 2023

This weekend is a little quieter than last week was, but still has two races that pay valuable KYD points taking place. One of them is the 19th running of The Davis Stakes, taking place at TAM at a little over a mile and offering 20 points for its winner. The $250.000 purse has been in place since 2012. Over its history, we’ve seen such as horses as eventual 2014 KYD winner Laffin To Mia, get a win here in the Davis Stakes. Last year, one of the fillies, Paris Broadway, was the winner of this race, for Arindel. Afterwards, she would go back to running against her own gender and did run in the KYO and BC Distaff but did not earn a penny in either. Of our twelves horses going to post this year, only one is a filly. Let’s take a look at those hoping to secure the all-important 20 points that is on the line!

#1- What A Joke (Delta Farms, ridden by P Lopez)- Not much was thought of this horse early on, running in two smaller races (that he won) and either being sold or claimed for less than $10.000. Delta Farms saw much more in him, however, and ran him in the $100.000 King Glorious Stakes, where he ran second to the horse that just won the Withers: More Twist. He didn’t follow that up well in the CA Cup Derby last month, but we can look past that. The trainer has done a great job bringing this horse forward and he’s capable of pulling this off.

#2- Tarte Aux Pommes (Jerry Garcia Racing, ridden by T Gaffalione)- A third quarter two-year-old that has only made two starts up to this point. The filly debuted in late November and struggled but broke her maiden last month down at GP with an impressive three length score. To get ready for this race, she had an eye-opening work at GP on the second which makes her look very formidable. If she lives up to that, we probably should be calling her the one to beat. Before picking her, though, I want to see one run from her at this level.

#3- Nevada Lee (Nakamura Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- The Nevada Brave gelding comes into the Davis Stakes on a modest two race winning streak, but they both came on the grass. He broke his maiden for $120.000 at CD on soft turf in late October, then captured $100.000 Logan Stakes at SA two months later. We know he has a future on the grass, but this time of year, you have to see if the horse has what it takes on the main track, and Nevada Lee is working well.

#4- Hamilton Library (First Flight Stable, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Spent a lot of his early career running against NY-breds, and finished second in those races. Eventually, he would break his maiden at AQU with a good, come from behind effort. Off of that, he was entered into the $100.000 Gun Runner, where he was way off the pace but made a late move to be fifth. He’ll have to be better than that here as he can’t be left behind that much again.

#5- Sinning Black (NIght Mare Racing, ridden by J C Ferrer)- In his second start, this third quarter two-year-old broke his maiden against NY-breds at AQU in mid-November. That excited the trainer to run him in the Jerome, but he would be left behind right out of the starting gate. He’d close to get up for fifth, but will be looking for a better start here, which he was able to have in the race that he won.

#6- Buccaneers Bounty (Nakamura Stables, ridden by S Elliott)- Our second entry in the field from Nakamura is red hot and looking to win his fourth race in a row. He broke his maiden for peanuts at GRP but came here right before Thanksgiving and won an allowance. Off of that, he made his stake debut in the $100.000 Dania Beach on the grass at GP last month and heads back to the main track in a city where Buccaneers will be popular.

#7- Shula (Aer Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- From a horse named Buccaneers running at TAM to a horse (possibly) named after a coach who did great things in the state of Florida. After Shula was gelded in June, he was also moved to the grass for the $125.000 Soaring Free at WO but struggled. Aer Stables figured out what went wrong, though, and Shula’s won his last two races. with the most recent one being the Grade 3 DeMille Stakes at DMR in early December. This is his first race on the dirt since June.

#8- South Point (Alydar Stables, ridden by F T Alvarado)- This gelding by Racket Runner had a couple of decent performances against CA-breds, but Alydar Stables wanted more than that and that is how he became a gelding. The trainer was rewarded for that by South Point breaking his maiden about a month ago for $67.000 out at SA, and now we’ll see what he can do against this type of field. His works leading into the race at SA show that he can be a threat here, but as I said with Tarte Aux Pommes, I want to see him run once at this level first before picking him.

#9- Later Dude (Rampage Stable, ridden by J Rosario)- Won on debut at CT in July, but unlike South Point where he was gelded because he didn’t win, Later Dude would undergo the snip after that race anyway. He’d end up in the $175.000 Golden State Juvenile for CA breds at SA and was a respectable third but struggled last month in the $100.000 Gun Runner where he simply never got involved and finished ninth. If that’s a throw out, everything’s fine with him, but it’s hard to select him off of that.

#10- Ghostzap (Fractious, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Broke his maiden in his third start, coming at AQU, and was sent right into the graded ranks from there. This would be a good move, as Ghostzap looked sharp in the Grade 3 Street Sense, placing third while only half a length behind the winner. That is not something that has continued for him, however, as in both the Remsen and the Jerome, Ghostzap finished sixth, tiring after a good start. He’ll get another shot at it here, and maybe a change of scenery away from AQU will help.

#11- Pink Shark (Arindel, ridden by L Saez)- Up to this point, Pink Shark has done a lot to be proud of. It took him too long to break his maiden conventionally, though, so the trainer entered him in the $500.000 Nownownow Stakes as a maiden and Pink Shark won that instead! That result sent him to the BC Juvenile Turf where he was a respectable fifth. That’s the last time he’s seen the grass in a race, though, and the transition back to the dirt has been successful with a second in the Grade 2 KY Jockey Club, getting his photo taken with the winner and then getting the win in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes, which, by the way, came from post #11. On paper, he is the class of the field. I do think a few could beat him, but if Pink Shark runs his best, then this is his race.

#12- Wisdom (Mb Stables, ridden by L Dettori)- Finally, on the outside we have a horse that is making quite a leap into this race. He’s only made one start, coming in November at FL and he earned the win in that one. His lone public mile work came before he made his debut, and it was very good then. If there has been any kind of improvement since then, and I’m sure there has, then he’s very much a player in here. As I said a couple times in this preview though, I want to see a run at this level from him before I pick him.

Prediction: 11-3-2-1

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES