BY BROCK SHERIDAN

The $110,000 NYRABets Sprint on Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs has a rich history of producing accomplished Florida-bred sprinters going back to Built Up, who became a graded stakes-winner of $822,136 after taking the inaugural running in 2003.

Sneaking Uponyou set a track record of 1:08.69 in the 2011 Sprint only to have It’s Me Mom lower mark the following year with a 1:08.67 clocking for six furlongs—a record that still stands today.

Two-time Sprint winner Nightmare Affair (2005, 2006) became a graded stakes-winning earner of $1,113,464 while future multiple Grade 1-winner Imperial Hint (2018) and multiple graded stakes-placed and Group 1-winner Extravagant Kid (2019) went on to bank $2,209,055 and $1,704,683 respectively. 

Racing Secretary Allison DeLuca and her staff have again assembled a solid field of 10 Florida-bred sprinters for Saturday’s running including Comedy Town, Rouki and Mattingly, all stakes winners against open competition.

Rouki returns to the main track after winning the $117,000 Turf Dash at Tampa Bay on Feb. 22 in his last race for trainer Gerald Bennett.

 

The 4-year-old son of Solera Farm’s stallion Rogueish has won three of his last four starts including his last two after scoring in a second level, $32,000 optional claiming going six furlongs at Tampa Bay on Feb. 2. He also won under those conditions going five furlongs on the Tampa Bay Downs grass on Nov. 27 but was a disappointing seventh in the same conditions at six furlongs on Dec. 14.

 

Rouki has won half of his 10 career starts while banking $198,405 for Tropic Lightning Racing LLC. He is out of Kizuna, by Harlington and was bred in Florida by Bonnie J. Thompson and Edward Seltzer.

Sammy Camacho will ride Rouki from post three.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is hoping he has returned Comedy Town to the form he showed in winning the $110,000 Smile Sprint at six furlongs and $96,000 Benny the Bull over a sloppy seven furlongs in consecutive starts last summer at Gulfstream Park. Second to Damon’s Mound in the $75,000 Sunshine Sprint at Gulfstream on Jan. 25, Comedy Town was a disappointing fourth as the 8-5 favorite in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint going six furlongs last time out on Feb. 22.

 

Comedy Town is the richest among this year’s Sprint contenders with $446,663 in earnings. 

Joseph claimed Comedy Town for $25,000 out of a second-place finish on synthetic in March of 2024 and has since seen him win three with a second and a third in seven starts. Joseph owns Comedy Town in partnership with Ten Twenty Racing.

Bred in Florida by Live Oak Stud, Comedy Town is by Speightstown out of Unbridled Humor, by Distorted Humor.

Edgard Zayas gets aboard for the first time since April and they have post four.

While earning a paycheck in eight starts since winning the $90,000 Hollywood Beach on the Gulfstream Park synthetic in September of 2023, Mattingly has yet to return to the winner’s circle. 

 

He has had a productive career with seconds in the $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Affirmed at Gulfstream Park in 2023 and in the $150,000 Paradise Creek in May of last year at Belmont Park and was third in the $98,000 My Frenchman at Monmouth Park in July.

He enters off two third-place finishes in second condition, $62,500 optional claiming races going five furlongs on the turf at Gulfstream on Feb. 2 and Feb. 28.

Mattingly is trained by Joseph Orseno and has a career record of two wins, four seconds and three thirds while earning $284,813 for Ironhorse Racing Stable LLC and Harlow Stables LLC. He is by Bucchero out of Battingstar, by Grand Slam and was bred in Florida by Lance Colwell.

Ironhorse Racing Stable purchased him for $70,000 out of the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where he was consigned by Two Oaks Equine.
(Mattingly’s Under Tack Video)

Paco Lopez will ride Mattingly from post six.

Rounding out the field are Pure Class and jockey Marcos Meneses, Luis Saez rides Hurricane Nelson, Chrome Ghost will have Samuel Marin in the irons, Classify with Dylan Davis up, Big Effect has Sonny Leon taking the call, Fortysixcounts will be ridden by Antonio Gallardo and Cipriano Gil rides Cajun Gem.

Return to the March 28 issue of Wire to Wire