Tampa Derby Worth Another Look as KY Derby Approaches

For starters, the race was run in fast time when compared to the other preps, as the victorious Destin earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. While that number wouldn't jump off the page any other year, in the 2016 crop of three year-old runners it places the Todd Pletcher colt in elite company. Only Nyquist and Exaggerator earned triple digit figures this year with the former's coming in a seven furlong sprint and the latter's over a sloppy track. Adding to the winner's intrigue is the fact that he will train up to the Derby. While a break of eight weeks between starts is certainly unconventional, success has certainly eluded Pletcher in the Derby over the years with more orthodox training routines. Destin ran greenly in the win and will remain the race's primary enigma.

Tampa Derby form holds strong

Of equal note, the Tampa Derby produced a pair of next-out winners in major preps. Destin's stablemate, Outwork (second in the Tampa Derby), came back to win the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, while Brody's Cause (off-the-board) returned to win the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. Neither of those races produced particularly fast times, with Outwork's marginal time perhaps getting a pass as the Wood was run over a sloppy and tiring racetrack. 

Outwork's speed and upside intrigue 

Outwork, a son of Uncle Mo has competed in just two route races in his career (the aforementioned Tampa Derby and Wood Memorial) while showing good early speed in both. With this year's field apparently lacking in quality front-runners, Outwork seems well-positioned to improve and perhaps make a splash on the first Saturday in May. Pletcher's Derby record notwithstanding, Destin and Outwork are two horses that handicappers must determine what to do with as they begin parcing for the biggest race of the year.