Vamonos!

WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing’s Vinceremos (Pioneerof the Nile), a narrow graduate at second asking going a mile after hitting the rail in the stretch at Gulfstream Jan. 4, lit up the tote board at 12-1 with a game nose tally in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs Saturday. Harpoon (Tapit), co-favored at 9-5, completed the Todd Pletcher exacta. 

Vinceremos, a well-beaten second in his Gulfstream unveiling in the slop Nov. 30, raced in hand while vying for early command from the inside through an opening quarter in :24.35 here. With Edgar Prado aboard, he dropped back a few spots to race in fourth entering the far turn. Prado remained cool, however, and Vinceremos re-rallied along an inviting opening on the rail in the stretch to hit the front, and kept on battling late to win it in a wild photo. “A dead heat would have been perfect,” Pletcher assistant Ginny DePasquale said. 

Co-owner Randy Gullatt of Twin Creeks Racing added, “I would think the [GII Tampa Bay Derby] is the next logical race and if he is doing well, that would be Todd’s choice. We are learning about this horse every time. Edgar didn’t want to make the lead too quick with him because he wants to wait on other horses. If he has a target, Edgar says he digs in, and you just have to be patient and not make the lead too quick.” 

Prado has been aboard in all three of the dark bay’s career starts. “He was relaxed and I was confident that he would be there for me when I asked,” Prado commented. “The pace picked up getting into the turn but I didn’t want to use what we had that soon so I let them get away from us. Entering the stretch there was still room on the inside and he responded when I set him down. He was still going strong to the finish, but I knew it would be close.” 

Vinceremos’s dam Kettle’s Sister (More Than Ready) produced a filly by Afleet Express in 2012 and a colt by Majestic Warrior in 2013.

Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs 
SAM F. DAVIS S.-GIII, $200,000, TAM, 2-1, 3yo, 
1 1/16m, 1:47 1/5, ft. 
1–#@VINCEREMOS, 116, c, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile 
     1st Dam: Kettle’s Sister, by More Than Ready 
     2nd Dam: Safe at the Plate, by Double Zeus 
     3rd Dam: Safely Home, by Winning Hit 
($140,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP; $340,000 2yo ‘13 
KEEAPR). O-WinStar Farm LLC & Twin Creeks Racing 
Stables LLC; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Todd Pletcher; 
J-Edgar S Prado. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, 
$153,600. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the 
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 
2–Harpoon, 116, c, 3, Tapit–Christmas Star, by Star 
De Naskra. ($500,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP). O-Let’s Go 
Stable; B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Todd 
Pletcher. $40,000. 
3–Cousin Stephen, 116, c, 3, Proud Citizen–Gallant 
Dreamer, by Belong to Me. ($210,000 yrl ’12 
FTKJUL). O-Klaravich Stables Inc & William 
Lawrence; B-B C Jones (KY); T-C Brown. $20,000. 
Margins: NO, 3/4, NK. Odds: 12.40, 1.80, 3.90. 
Also Ran: Matador, Asserting Bear, School On a Hill, Noble Cornerstone, Imaginethatmom. Click for the brisnet.com chart or the brisnet.com PPs. VIDEO.