Yaupon Firster Emblaze Fires Late To Graduate at Tampa

Dahman’s Emblaze (Yaupon) did plenty wrong making her belated debut in a five-furlong turf sprint to close out the Saturday program at Tampa, did her best work when it mattered most to don cap and gown at first asking.

Drawn widest in a field of 10, the $350,000 OBS April graduate was forced to her outside at the break, but was angled back towards the inside by Samuel Marin and sat more or less a midfield trip, eating a fair bit of kickback. Under the pump, but going well enough as they made the stretch, Emblaze was angled out with Marin looking to come to the outside of all of those ahead of her, but Emblaze had other ideas and maintained an inside track. Pulled out once more inside the final eighth of a mile, she finally kept a straight course and surged past favored Sutura (Vekoma) for the victory, keying a Spendthrift-sired 1-2.

Emblaze was meant to make her career debut at Gulfstream on Jan. 30, but ran off during the post parade and was withdrawn.

A half-sister to Machtree (Kitten’s Joy), GSP-Can, $211,085; and to the dam of SW Jackman (Munnings), Emblaze is out of a daughter of SW & GSP Harbour Blues (Petionville), who produced a full-brother to Saturday’s winner in 2025 before visiting Kingsbarns.

9th-Tampa Bay Downs, $32,000, Msw, 3-14, 3yo, f, 5fT, :56.70, fm, 1/2 length.
EMBLAZE (f, 3, Yaupon–Lady Lumberjack {MGSP, $205,200}, by Forestry) Sales history: $300,000 Wlg ’23 KEENOV; $275,000 Ylg ’24 FTKJUL; $225,000 RNA Ylg ’24 FTKOCT; $350,000 2yo ’25 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $18,560. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Dahman; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Miguel Clement.