Ocean Knight Changes Target

Originally expected to run in Aqueduct's GIII Gotham S. Saturday, Stonestreet Stables's Ocean Knight (Curlin) will instead remain in Florida to contest the GII Tampa Bay Derby on the same day. 

“Barbara Banke and her team decided coming back to Tampa Bay Downs was the right thing to do, and I'm happy with the decision,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. 

A debut winner at Aqueduct Dec. 13, Ocean Knight overcame the 11-hole to capture Tampa Bay's GIII Sam F. Davis S. next time out Jan. 31. Banke felt that performance made the Tampa Bay Derby the next logical choice. 

“It's a kind racetrack, the weather is supposed to be beautiful the next five days and he came out of the [Davis] real well, so we feel like going back to Tampa is a win-win for everybody,” McLaughlin said. “He is training beautifully, and the nice thing is we don't have to change his schedule. We just have to cancel his plane trip and put him on the van. We would have been happy to go to New York, too, but he has already shown he likes the track at Tampa.” 

Ocean Knight will face some stiff competition in Tampa in the form of 'TDN Rising Star' Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway), who is also owned by Stonestreet in partnership with WinStar Farm. Winner of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Carpe Diem will be making his seasonal debut in the Tampa Bay Derby. 

“We are expecting the Tampa Bay Derby to be tougher [than the Davis], but we are up for the challenge,” McLaughlin remarked. “We have a lot of respect for Todd [Pletcher] and Carpe Diem and if he beats us, he beats us, but we think we're going there with a great chance.” 

With precious GI Kentucky Derby points on the line, and the Tampa Bay Derby only offering 50-20-10-15 points, the Stonestreet team originally feared pitting the two sophomores against each other would hinder one of the colt's chances. However, Carpe Diem already sits eighth on the qualifying list with 14 points from his earlier performances, and though Ocean Knight has no points currently, McLaughlin has plans for a second 100-point Derby prep Apr. 4. 

“We spoke about that, and both horses [almost certainly] will run back in a 100-point race in four weeks [for Ocean Knight, either the GI Wood Memorial at Aqueduct or the GI Blue Grass S. at Keeneland, both of which offer 100-40-20-10 points to the top four],” McLaughlin said. 

The conditioner added, “We don't want to go to Kentucky just to run in the Derby; we want to have a chance to win. So with the timing of the Wood Memorial and the Blue Grass, the Stonestreet Stables people don't think it is that big a deal if they finish first and second Saturday, or first and third or first and fourth.”