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Centeno Wants Shot At Big Races

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 23, 2008

OLDSMAR - There was one conspicuous absence from an otherwise spectacular field in last week's Sam F. Davis Stakes: Tampa Bay Downs leading jockey Daniel Centeno.

On a weekend where many of Gulfstream Park's top jockeys descended on Oldsmar to ride top ship-ins, Centeno, with more than twice as many victories as the second-winningest TBD jockey this meet, only secured rides on long shots Beautiful Venue in the Endeavour Stakes and Dee's Rose in the Suncoast Stakes. Both finished out of the money.

"Well, you know, sometimes people know a rider that they want to come back here to ride their horse," said Centeno, who surpassed $1 million in season earnings Thursday. "The leading rider at the track may not be the one they want to ride a particular horse, but we'll keep trying. We can only ride the best we can. That's horse racing."

This week Centeno is back and riding a top entry in TBD's Saturday feature. Soldier's Dancer is a past TBD stakes winner, and a recent second-place finish in the Sunshine Millions Turf gave him more than $600,000 in career earnings. He is the 4-1 early second choice in the $150,000 Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup Stakes for 4-year-olds and up running about 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The race begins at 3:43 p.m.

Last year Centeno rode Classic Campaign, owned by George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable, to a fast-closing second-place finish in last year's Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup. This year jockey Jose Velez Jr. will ride the horse, trained by William Mott. Other top entries include 2-1 early favorite Cosmonaut, a winner of more than $1.1 million in his career, and two entries from trainer Todd Pletcher: Icy Atlantic and Pleasant Strike.

RACINOS DISCUSSED: One of the hot topics at the annual joint meeting between the Harness Tracks of America and Thoroughbred Racing Associations, held Sunday through Wednesday in St. Petersburg, was the emergence of "racinos," horse racing facilities that offer casino-style games.

Much of the debate centered on how casino gaming should be integrated into a horse racing facility. Some experts argued that slots do not draw new customers to horse racing, while others believe some North American tracks would be closed if not for slot revenue.
Tampa Bay Downs president Stella Thayer attended the meetings. General Manager Peter Berube has wanted video lottery machines to be legalized in Hillsborough County so he can compete with Gulfstream Park, which quickly renovated its facility to house slot machines, drawing mixed reviews. He has said horse racing would remain the track's top priority if slots were legalized.

DOWNS ILLUSTRATED: According to TBD officials, a cartoon depicting this year's Tampa Bay Derby will be on the cover of the March 15 issue of the Daily Racing Form.

Drawn by the publication's longtime cartoonist, Pierre "Peb" Bellocq, the illustration shows 2007 Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense sitting atop the TBD grandstand, watching the race through binoculars. He is holding a pink derby as a prize for the 2008 Tampa Bay Derby winner. The last time a Peb cartoon was published pertaining to TBD was in 1990, for then-Tampa Bay Derby winner Champagne for Ashley.

AROUND THE TRACKS: Jockey Juan D. Lopez walked off the track under his own power after being thrown from El Gran Tony in midstretch of Friday's seventh race. The horse did not appear to be injured. ... Trainer Shane Learn earned his first career win with Forest Light in Friday's third race. ... Eight days after finishing fifth in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, the Mott-trained Z Humor is entered in Sunday's Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream, an unusually quick return for a 3-year-old prepping for the Kentucky Derby. ... Hall of Fame boxing trainer and Tampa-area resident Angelo Dundee will speak and sign copies of his autobiography "My View from the Corner: A Life in Boxing" at TBD's Morning Glory Club, beginning today at 10 a.m. in the TBD grandstand.

Bart O'Connell can be reached at boconnell@pop.tampatrib.com.

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