Ocean Knight highlights Tampa Bay Derby nominees

Oldsmar, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Ocean Knight, winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes, tops a list 40 3-year-olds nominated to the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby on March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin for Stonestreet Stable, Ocean Knight is undefeated in three career starts with earnings of $156,000.

The colt, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., won the Davis on Jan. 31 by a neck over Diving Rod as the 8-5 favorite. He stopped the timer at 1:43.74 on a fast track, just a fifth of a second off the stakes record set by General Quarters in 2009.

“He did (bring back memories of Curlin), but it’s hard to say because I was jumping up and down so much,” Stonestreet owner Barbara Banke said after the win. “We knew he was fast. He had been hauling everything else around the training center all year long.”

The 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship” series which determines the 20-horse field for the 141st Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Won in 2007 by Street Sense who went on to capture the Run for the Roses, the Tampa Bay Derby offers 50-20-10-5 points to the top four under the wire.

Categorized in: Horses