BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Florida-bred Chi Chi will attempt to win her third consecutive stakes Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs when she takes on seven other 2-year-old fillies in the $50,000 Sandpiper going six furlongs. The Sandpiper will also offer a $50,000 win bonus from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association for Florida Sire Stakes-eligible runners, of which Florida-bred Mist is the lone candidate.

The Sandpiper is the co-feature on the nine-race program at Tampa Bay Downs along with the $50,000 Inaugural for 2-year-olds at six furlongs, which offers a $50,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes win bonus as well.

Trained by Herman Wilensky for Earnest C. Frohboese, Tampa Bays Downs will be the fourth different track in five career starts for Chi Chi, who has stamps on her registration papers from the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Remington Park and Gulfstream Park.

She began her career with two unsuccessful starts against in special weight maiden fillies going five furlongs on the Del Mar turf in Southern California in August and September, finishing fifth and fourth respectively, before traveling to Remington Park in Oklahoma for her stakes debut in the E.L. Gaylord Memorial.

The switch to six-and-a-half furlongs on dirt proved successful in the Gaylord as she won by a length-and-a-quarter on Sept. 24. Wilensky kept the bay filly at the same distance and surface for the $60,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream on Nov. 11 and she won easily by two-and-three-quarter lengths.

By Audible out of Simply Confection, by Candy Ride (Arg), Chi Chi is a half-sister to 2022 Florida-bred Horse of the Year Simplification and has earned $71,840 in her four starts. She was bred in Florida by France Weiner and Edwin Gonzalez travels to Tampa Bay Downs from his base in South Florida for the return mount.

Chi Chi has post three.

Expected to provide Chi Chi with her main competition is Toupie for trainer Graham Motion.

By Uncle Mo out of Amertume, by Tapit, Toupie is a homebred for Wertheimer and Frere and comes out of a two-and-a-quarter-length score in the $120,000 Stewart Manor going six furlongs on the turf at Aqueduct on Nov. 4.

This will be her fourth try against black type company having finished second to No Nay Mets (Ire) in the $131,000 Rosie going five-and-a-half furlongs on the Colonial Downs turf on Sept. 9 and out of the money in the Grade 2 Jessamine won by Buchu at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf at Keeneland on Oct. 6.

Toupie has drawn post six and will be ridden by Jorge Ruiz.

Arindel homebred Mist will try to capitalize on the Florida Sire Stakes bonus for trainer Juan Alvarado after running in the first two legs of the series at Gulfstream Park most recently.

The Florida-bred was second to Welcome Back in the $100,000 Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen going six furlongs on Sept. 9 but was eased in the $200,000 Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl won by juggernaut R Harper Rose going seven furlongs on Oct. 21.

Mist has earned $78,200 from one win, two seconds and a third in six starts and will break from post two. A rider had yet to be named at press time.

Florida-bred Let Them Watch homes to duplicate her victory in the $90,000 Sharp Susan at Gulfstream Park on Aug. 13 for trainer Mike Maker and owner Case Chambers. A winner of two of three career starts, her lone loss came when out of the money in the $198,000 Myrtlewood going six furlongs at Keeneland on Oct. 27.

Let Them Watch was bred in Florida by Tracy Pinchin and sold to Chambers for $55,000 out of the Randy Miles consignment at the this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale. She went through the OBS Auction ring from the Summerfield consignment in last year’s October Yearling Sale, but did not meet her reserve.

Hector Diaz Jr. has the mount of Let Them Watch and they will depart from post four.

Florida-bred Savanah Lady looks to repeat her victory against $25,000 maiden claiming fillies going five-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream two starts back on July 21 for trainer Elizabeth Dobles, who co-owns the daughter of Jess’s Dream with Imaginary Stables.

Bred by J D Farms, Savanah Lady sold for $6,500 to Dobles at the 2023 OBS Winter Mixed Sale where she was consigned by Fabian Sales.

Savanah Lady will be ridden by Jose Morelos from the outside post eight.

Rounding out the field for the Sandpiper are Betsylicious and jockey Samy Camacho, Genuine Peril with Jose Batista aboard and Carol Cedeno rides A Primera.

Return to Nov. 30 issue of Wire to Wire