The $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs features a competitive field of seven entrants, with three stakes winners and five horses with Kentucky Derby qualification points. Chancer McPatrick, trained by Chad Brown, is a possible favorite with impressive past performances but struggled in his two-turn debut and may be using this race as a starting point for improvement.
Hill Road, another Chad Brown trainee, is also using the Tampa Bay Derby as a springboard to bigger races after a solid performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Owen Almighty, who has run twice at Tampa Bay Downs this winter, has a strong chance to finish in the top three in the Tampa Bay Derby, but may struggle with the 1 1/16-mile distance based on past performances.
Patch Adams, the son of Into Mischief, is the top choice to win the Tampa Bay Derby with an impressive maiden win at Churchill Downs and a strong performance in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Despite a fourth-place finish in the Southwest, Patch Adams showed potential with a sustained rally and is expected to secure a forward position from the far outside post in the Tampa Bay Derby.
