Before Saturday’s $150,000 Pasco Stakes, most observers
believed Owen Almighty was the best horse in the six-horse field. The running
of the 7-furlong event, in which the Grade 3 Iroquois runner-up finished a
length ahead of Naughty Rascal, did nothing to change their perspective.

But on the turn for home, Owen Almighty veered into Rookie
Card along the rail, causing jockey Júnior Alvarado to take up his horse to
avoid a possible accident. That was impossible for the 1-2 favorite to
overcome.

Click here for Tampa Bay Downs entries and results.

After reviewing the video, Tampa Bay Downs stewards
disqualified Owen Almighty and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. from first place to fifth,
one spot behind Rookie Card. That made Naughty Rascal the official winner,
rewarding trainer Gerald Bennett with his first Pasco victory.

“My horse ran his race, but I think he’ll get much better
going around two turns,” said Bennett, who hopes to bring Florida-bred Naughty
Rascal back for the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) on Feb. 8. “I didn’t
really drill on him for this race. He eats everything you put in front of him,
and he looked a little on the heavy side in the paddock.

“He’s way off from being at his peak, but you want them to
peak at the right time. My main objective is to try to win the Tampa Bay Derby
(G3).”

Both the Sam F. Davis and the Tampa Bay Derby on March 8 are
Kentucky Derby points races.

Almost any time an odds-on favorite is disqualified, there
is going to be controversy, and the Pasco was no exception. Given the way Owen
Almighty finished, dispatching Naughty Rascal with relative ease late made the
outcome harder to swallow. But there seemed little doubt that Owen Almighty
caused the contact, and Alvarado had to yank his horse out of trouble, even
though connections of Owen Almighty hoped the outcome might be upheld.

“You haven’t run enough horses if you haven’t been in a
position like this,” said Brian Lynch, the trainer of Owen Almighty. “(Ortiz
said) he felt like (Alvarado) was out of horse. and he was backing out of there
anyway. It’s just a very unfortunate thing.”

Naughty Rascal was ridden by Edwin González, who had high
praise for the Florida-bred son of Rogueish out of Smarty Jones mare Baby Doll.

“He got a little tired late, but he did everything I asked,”
González said. “He proved himself. He tried hard and put it right there for
me.”

Naughty Rascal is 4-for-6, and first-place money of $62,500
raised his career earnings to $220,630. He is owned by Mr Pug and J.P.G. 2, the
partnership of Ron Pugliese and Jim Georgeades. The winning time was 1:22.50.

Naughty Rascal paid $8.20 to win as the second wagering
choice. Very Bold finished a non-threatening third, getting moved up to second
on Owen Almighty’s disqualification. Fourth-place finisher Cockeyed was moved
up to third.

‘We’re blessed to have him. Gerry (Bennett) knows how to
bring a horse to a race like this,” Georgeades said. “My (late) father’s
birthday was today, and I hope he is looking down on this.”

Alvarado said he was relieved that no one got hurt.

“I’m just glad (Rookie Card) was able to come back fine, and
we’re all in one piece,” he said. “We scratch that one, and we move on. That’s
what we do.”

Dancing Magic rallies, wins Gasparilla

Dancing Magic staged a whirlwind rally to run down pacesetter
Lynn’s Milky Way by two lengths in the seven-furlong, $150,000 Gasparilla, Saturday’s
companion stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Alvarado was aboard for the victory on the Michael
Campbell-trained filly, perhaps just reward for nearly being unseated on Rookie
Card a race earlier.

Willie Martínez was unseated at the break of the Gasparilla
when his mount Tessitura stumbled leaving the starting gate. Both the jockey
and the filly returned from the incident relatively unscathed.

“I had a beautiful trip, and the pace was hot so I had
something to run at,” Alvarado said. “When we hit the three-eighths pole, she
was ready for me, and after that, I was just guiding her. She was traveling
beautifully the whole way.”

For much of the Gasparilla, it looked as if jockey José
Ferrer might steal the race on the front end on Lynn’s Milky Way, making only
her second career start. Win N Your In took first run at her on the turn for
home but lacked the needed finishing kick. Alvarado was sitting on the
proverbial powder keg in Dancing Magic.

“That was my only concern when I hit the quarter pole, that
(Lynn’s Milky Way) had opened a five-, six-, seven- or eight-length lead,”
Alvarado said. “But my horse kept grinding it out. She was a very good filly
today.”

The victory was the second in seven starts for Dancing
Magic, who finished third at Tampa Bay Downs in the Sandpiper Stakes on Dec. 7.
She is owned by the Mellon Patch concern of George and Mary Mellon of Bonita
Springs, Fla., and trained by Michael Campbell.

“You put it in perspective. It was a great ride,” George
Mellon said. “And Michael and (assistant trainer) Jesse (García) do a wonderful
job.”

“I had a lot of confidence in her today,” Campbell said. “I
know she wants to go farther, so I think we’ll follow the series here,” he
added, indicating her next start could be the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes, a Kentucky
Oaks (G1) points race Feb. 8.

Dancing Magic is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Good Magic out
of Nobiz Like Showbiz mare I’ll Take the Cake. Her time was 1:23.70. She paid
$9.00 to win as the third wagering choice.

The favorite, Sandpiper winner Mrs Worldwide, never got
untracked and finished a distant fourth.

Dancing Magic’s first-place earnings of $45,000 raised her
career bankroll to $116,475.