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Revved Up Looking For 2nd Victory In Chris Thomas Turf Classic Today

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By BART O'CONNELL

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 3, 2008

OLDSMAR - Revved Up, with more than $1.5 million in lifetime earnings, is back for a fourth $75,000 Chris Thomas Turf Classic today at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 10-year-old Christophe Clement-trainee has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for TBD's final stakes of the meet. Post time is 3:20 p.m.

Inactive since Dec. 15, Revved Up won the 2006 Chris Thomas and finished second in 2007 and 2005, the first year the race was re-named in honor of the late NewsChannel 8 and WDAE, 620 AM, radio sportscaster. He will be ridden by leading jockey Daniel Centeno. Revved Up's jockey in the race last year, Jose Velez Jr., is riding at Arlington Park today.

A pair of European-breds make up the other early favorites in the field of 12. Mysterious Peintre, trained by Martin Wolfson, is coming off a sluggish ninth-place finish in the Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup, while Puppeteer, the third-place finisher in last year's Chris Thomas, will break from the far outside and was 10th in the Tampa Bay BC.

Vanquisher, from George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable, is the top local entry in the race and underwent a trainer change with Greg Griffith taking over for Dale Bennett, who guided the 4-year-old gelding to two victories through April 5.

FINISHING STRONG: Centeno and trainer Jamie Ness, who have already clinched their second consecutive leading jockey and trainer titles at the track, will be busy at TBD this weekend looking to pad their win totals.

Centeno has nine mounts for both today and Sunday, while Ness has six entries for both today and Sunday. Centeno's 140 jockey wins and Ness's 64 trainer wins thus far are both all-time track records for a single meet.

The duo, along with current TBD leading owner Balkrisna Sukharan, put an emphatic cap on their outstanding winter/spring season by winning last week's $250,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint Handicap at Calder Race Course with Lookinforthesecret, earning $120,000.

OWNER'S RACE TIGHT: Interestingly, three different owners, two of which are Ness affiliates, remain in contention for the TBD owner's title. Sukharan (18 wins) has two entries this weekend, while Web's Gem Stable and Jagger, Inc. (17 wins) has four entries. Jagger, Inc. is Ness's ownership wing, and is named after his dog, Jagger.

Robert Deckert Jr. and Robert Deckert Sr. (15 wins) have five entries this weekend.

FOR DERBY WATCHERS: Gates will open early at Tampa-area parimutuel facilities for anticipated large Kentucky Derby Day crowds.
Tampa Bay Downs will open at 10 a.m. and first post time on the 12-race card will be at noon. The Kentucky Derby's post time is 6:04 p.m., and the final race at TBD will start at approximately 6:30. A track attendance record (11,014) was set on last year's Kentucky Derby Day, but it was surpassed on this year's Tampa Bay Derby Day (12,746).

Derby Lane will open at 10:30 a.m. and offer matinee and evening racing in addition to simulcast wagering. The Derby Club will be open and there will be outdoor live music from 4:30-8.

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