2/5/22
12 TAM The TAM Stakes (GIII)
$175.000 4yo&Up 1 1/16m Turf 122lbs +penalties
A full field of twelve will be headed to the gate for The TAM Stakes (GIII) going a mile and a sixteenth on the Oldsmar Oval, Saturday afternoon. I know I get yelled at when I pick a horse carrying more weight that the rest of the field but I just can’t get past Plucky Flash. Three wins in a row and he’s run some big races including a wire to wire go at em in the Ft Lauderdale (GII) last out. That packs on the pounds for him, but he runs off and hides and I don’t know if anyone can go with him. Let’s stay outside and put Day Tribe in the middle of this one. He was fourth in that same race at GP and was closing late… can he flip the script and bring home the bacon? Speaking of pork, let’s head over to Big John’s and get a rack of ribs before this one gets to goin’….
Here’s The Field –
Two wins in ’21 and he changed hands five races back. His one win for the new barn came at the $75.000 claiming level, and he tired to be fifth in the Ft Lauderdale (GII) at GP last out. He shows some solid works, so maybe he’s in for a minor share today.
He had a couple of poor efforts back to back in the Hirsch Turf (GI) and the BC Mile (GI) but he was fairly solid other that that pair of eight place finishes. Closed well to be third in the San Gabriel (GII) at SA to close out his ’21 season, so he certainly deserves a big look in this one.
On the board in seven of eight starts last season, including three wins, and his only off the board performance was a sprint and I just don’t think that’s his game. Nice win to close out the season taking an overnight turf stakes at FG where he chased the pace and prevailed. He loves the grass and love two turns so he is another to fear.
A pair of wins last year including an overnight stakes at TUP and an Alw win (DH) at SAR. He also had a trio of runner-up efforts which helped to put some money in the bank. He was fifth and sixth in two recent graded races so he obviously has to step up his game to be part of the festivities.
Only five starts last season and his only win came at the OptAlw level, getting home by a nose at PRX vs. PA-bred horses. He was last of ten in the Sycamore (GIII) so I think it’s fairly obvious that he’s going to have to run his eye-balls out to get part of this.
Only eight starts for this one and he’s never been worse that fourth (once) in all of his starts, and won last out going wire to wire vs. Alw types at GP. The bad news is he’s never seen horses like this, so it’s an acid bath, to say the least. He may surprise me but I’ll have to look at some others.
Two wins from his last three starts including an high end Alw race at SAR then he had a break and won the Carle Place at BEL before tiring to be fourth in the Mathis Brothers (GIII) at SA. Tries the graded types again, but he’s struggled there, so he’s going to have to step up his game.
He had a string of real bad races dating back to the spring but woke up in a big way last out to take the Tropical Park Derby at GP last out. Can he keep the momentum going and make some noise here? It’s going to take his very best in my opinion.
He won the Poker (GIII) at BEL back in June but has a trio of mid-pack finishes vs. graded foes only to run third at the Alw level in his most recent. He also won the Thunder Road (GIII) so when he’s at his best he can run with the tough ones.
A three race win streak coming into today’s race and he looked good going wire to wire in all of those. He won the Ft Lauderdale last out so he picks up the weight giving four pounds to all of these. I’m not a big fan of the weight difference but he may have the class to roll here.
He really never runs a bad race and in eight starts last season he had five wins and a trio of runner up starts. He hasn’t been running with the graded horses, but has been feasting at the NY-bred stakes foes. Can he run right through the wall here?
Three wins and three thirds from his nine seasonal starts and he closed out the season with a third and a pair of fourths vs graded horses. He won two starts on soggy sod, so the bar may be doing a rain dance today. Either way, he’s a horse that deserves a big look.
COZMAN 10 / 12 Willies Green Card 11 / 10 / 12
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
