Published:
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Saturday was a special day on three fronts in the sixth race at Tampa Bay Downs thanks to a 3-year-old Bahamian Squall filly owned and bred by Jim DiMare's J D Farms, located just about 10 minutes northwest of Double Diamond.
The filly, Special Princess, became the initial black-type winner for Bahamian Squall after finishing in a dead-heat for first in the 37th running of the $75,000 Gasparilla Stakes. At the same time, she became the first stakes-winner saddled by trainer Walter Woodard, and the first stakes-winner at Tampa Bay Downs for jockey Ademar Santos.
Special Princess was away sixth in a field of seven racing seven furlongs, and began moving up on the rail midway down the backstretch. Santos sent her between horses on the turn and she swung wide heading into the stretch, but it appeared they had left too much to do in the final sixteenth. But Santos urged her after pace-setter Adios Trippi down the middle of the track while announcer Richard Grunder bellowed, "Special Princess from absolutely nowhere . . . is flying on late." She proceeded to catch 4-1 Adios Trippi at the wire as the pair finished in 1:24.89, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of even-money favorite Feeling Mischief.
The winning duo earned $32,500 each and Special Princess paid $13.20 for her share of the win money. She's now 2-1-1 in seven starts with earnings of $70,275.