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Lookinforthesecret Keeps Up Pace

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 10, 2008

OLDSMAR - While the experts might have expected Lookinforthesecret to falter in the final furlong of Saturday's Super Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, trainer Jamie Ness saw all he needed to see at the half-mile pole.

The 6-year-old chestnut horse, racing seven furlongs for the first time, was showing no ill effects while setting a fast pace, and had a three-length lead on graded stakes winner and 9-10 favorite Paradise Dancer entering the turn.

From there, Lookinforthesecret stretched the lead to five lengths at the top of the stretch, completing the wire-to-wire victory by 3 1/2 over I'vegottabeme. It was his second consecutive TBD stakes win and third victory this meet, paying $6.00, $4.20 and $2.60. Paradise Dancer was third.

"It was an experiment, but this horse is doing so good right now," said Ness, TBD's leading trainer. "I changed his training a little bit, worked him a mile last week and he finished strong. And I told jockey Danny Centeno, I said if there's any doubts at all, we're not running him."

Centeno gave him a few big pats on the neck after crossing the wire and had high-fives for Ness and his staff, clearly relieved by the impressive result. With four wins on the day, Centeno has won 61 races to lead the TBD jockey colony, 28 more than Rosemary Homeister Jr. and Jose Velez Jr.

A couple of other factors worked in Lookinforthesecret's favor: He's So Chic, runner-up to Lookinforthesecret in last month's Pelican, scratched, as did Storm in May, winner of last year's Sunshine Millions Dash.

"When I heard this morning that the other favorite He's So Chic was scratched, I knew we'd be better; that I'd go to the lead by myself when I sent him," Centeno said. "I was worried about the last furlong, but he's doing so great right now, and we knew he was going to run a big race."

The $42,500 winner's share pushed Lookinforthesecret's lifetime earnings to $318,118. He has 10 wins (five in stakes races) and four second-place finishes in 15 starts since Ness claimed him for $12,500 last year. The owner, Balkrisna Sukharan, was watching at his home in Minneapolis.

Ness said Lookinforthesecret will defend his title in the $75,000 Turf Dash on Festival Day next month at TBD.

"We'll stay home. I don't need to go anywhere with this horse," Ness said. "He likes it here."

If all goes well after that, he's likely to stay in Tampa for Florida Cup Day in April, but Ness will have to consider richer stakes at Calder and elsewhere, considering how well the horse has run recently.

Ness and Centeno also teamed up to win with Tytus in the ninth race, a one-mile test on the turf. Tytus is also 3-for-3 during the current Oldsmar meet. Today's Pick Six payout carried over to $17,777.32.

RISEN STAR STAKES: Pyro staked his claim as one of the top 3-year-old colts in training Saturday at the Fair Grounds with a powerful victory in the Grade 3 $300,000 race, the final prep for the Louisiana Derby.

Last at the top of the stretch, Pyro angled out for running room under Shaun Bridgemohan and came roaring down the center of the track in the final furlong to win by two lengths over stablemate Z Fortune. Visionaire was another three-quarters of a length back in third.

Pyro paid $3.80, $2.60 and $2.20. Z Fortune returned $3.40 and $2.60, and Visionaire paid $3.60 to show.

In the 3-year-old filly division, Indian Blessing ran her lifetime undefeated streak to five races in the Grade 3 $200,000 Silverbulletday Stakes.

Information from Tribune wires was used in this report.

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