OLDSMAR — Like father, like son?
Ocean Knight still has much to prove. But after his first two career races, the start is identical to his great sire.
The lightly raced 3-year-old Curlin colt went from maiden-special weight winner to graded stakes champion Saturday, wearing down locally based 28-1 shot Divining Rod in the final strides to capture the Grade III $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Ocean Knight, the 8-5 favorite in the 12-horse field, received an excellent trip from post 11 under jockey Irad Ortiz. The Kentucky-bred horse raced four wide most of the way — never more than 3 lengths behind the leaders — to set up the stretch duel with pace-setter Divining Rod, who ran the opening four furlongs in 48.75 seconds. Ocean Knight prevailed by a neck for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and owner Stonestreet Stables. He paid $5.20 to win and clocked 11/16-miles in 1:43.74.
It was Ocean Knight's first start since winning a 6-furlong sprint on Dec. 13 at Aqueduct in Jamaica, N.Y. Curlin, the two-time Eclipse Award winner for horse of the year (2007-08) and 2014 Hall of Fame inductee, won the Grade III Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., in 2007 after breaking his maiden.
"(Ocean Knight) took a little while to come around this summer," said Neal McLaughlin, brother of Kiaran, who did not travel to Oldsmar. "He had no big problems, just little things like getting him to the gate and through the process. It was more just mentally getting him prepared. It worked. … He ran his first race (this year) like his fourth race."
Ortiz, who won the Grade III $150,000 Endeavour with favorite Testa Rossi ($5.20) through disqualification, said the first turn was vital. "Get a good position — three, four — like the trainer told me," he said. "I had to rush him up in the first part of the race, and he had much left in the end."
Ocean Knight was purchased for $320,000 at the 2014 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. 2-year-olds in training sale. The $120,000 paycheck raised his earnings to $156,000.
Another Downs-based colt, My Johnny Be Good, finished third.
In the other stakes race, Include Betty won the $100,000 Suncoast. Ridden by Rosemary Homeister Jr. for trainer Tom Proctor, Include Betty paid $39.80 to win.
Festival Preview Day all-source handle was up 65.9 percent over last year at $9,897,714. Attendance was up slightly at 4,870.
The two entries for five-time Sam F. Davis winning trainer Todd Pletcher, Royal Son and G Five, finished seventh and 12th, respectively.