Sunday, March 10, 2019 |
Outshine chased a hot pace while going two-turns for the first time and finished strong to earn place in the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday afternoon VIDEO
Breaking from post position 6 of 11 with Joel Rosario in the irons, Outshine broke smartly with Well Defined (5) to his inside while speedster Zenden (11) sent from the outside stall. With those two setting the stage early, Rosario secured a stalking position a few lengths back racing around the clubhouse turn, through an opening quarter mile in 22.79.
Seemingly in a great spot, Rosario looked to engage the leaders and started to move on Outshine after Zenden carved out another fast split down the backstretch. As they raced around the far turn, Outshine responded to urging and gained ground on the outside. Taking dead aim at the top of the stretch, Outshine passed a stubborn Zenden then dug in and kept on while eventual winner Tacitus (10) maneuvered his way to the rail under a crafty ride by Jose Ortiz.
Having pressed early and sustaining a long drive, Rosario had thought he had the race well-measured but did not see Tacitus coming through on the inside with a strong bid. Ultimately, Outshine was game to the end and ran one hell of a race, but had to settle for place beaten 1 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:41.90, which was a new track record CHART