Cosmonaut blasts off in the $150,000 Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup
Photo by Tom Cooley
OLDSMAR, Fla. (February 23, 2008) The 22nd running of the $150,000 Tampa Bay Breeders’ Cup was won today by Cosmonaut, a multiple Graded stakes winner owned by Flying Zee Stable and conditioned to victory by trainer Phil Serpe. Eclipse Award-winning jockey Edgar Prado had the call to ride the Kentucky-bred son of Lemon Drop Kid. Cosmonaut was the stalked the forerunner in the opening furlongs, moving to the lead at the ¾ pole to fend off Ballonenostrikes and jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr. in the final 1/16th of a mile to win by ¾ of a length. Ballonenostrikes was second, and Soldier’s Dancer rounded out the trifecta, which paid $265 for a $2 wager.
Winning jockey Edgar Prado said of Cosmonaut’s race, “We came out of the gate, and there was another horse that wanted to take the lead, so I sat back and bided my time. And he’s a very nice horse, you can place him wherever you want, I think he was ready to run today. He’s been training real well for this race,” continued Prado. “When the horse came to me, he caught another gear. I pressed the button, and he responded very well. This is a horse that always does what you ask him to do. When I asked him to respond, I was very happy.”
Owner Carl Lizza was on hand to watch Cosmonaut capture the $150,000 Tampa Bay Breeders’ Cup. He said that he was not surprised by his horse’s win. “I would say that I was 80% confident. He can handle the good turf, the yielding turf; he can run on the anything. He can run on the firm turf; (but) if you saw the Breeders’ Cup – it was a $2 million race – he went wire-to-wire, he just got beat at the end, and that was a very yielding turf, same as this turf. We were happy with that. It was just a question of whether he was fit enough. (Trainer) Phil (Serpe) did a good job of getting him ready. “
Lizza went on to say that he has big plans for Cosmonaut’s future. “Well, I think that we want to win a Grade I with this horse; he’s won a number of stakes, but he’s never won a Grade I. He might be going to Keeneland for the Grade I there – the Maker’s Mark Mile. And we’ll have him a little more fit for the next race. This is one of the top grass horses in the country. He ran in the Manhattan, a Grade I at a mile and a quarter and 30 jumps from the wire he was on the lead and got beat [sic] by English Channel and Better Talk Now, you know, Motion’s horse; two top grass horses in the country.”
Finish Lines… Holiday Inn Express Jockey of the Month Pablo Morales won three races today; his first win came in the day’s opener aboard Eleanor’s Groom, a three-year-old son of Runaway Groom from the stable of Barbara McBride for owner Ronald Burch. War Storm gave Morales his next victory in the fourth race; the six-year-old Storm Creek gelding is under the care of trainer Jane Cibelli and is owned by Free and Clear Stable. Morales rounded out his hat trick in the next race with E J’s Lady. The Florida-bred four-year-old LakeAustin filly is owned by D. P. Racing and is trained by Bill E. Moran
Racing resumes tomorrow, February 24 with an eleven race card. The Silks Poker Room is open daily from 12:30 PM through 12:30 AM, and the Downs Golf Practice Facility is open on Mondays from 10:00 AM through 10:00 PM and on Tuesdays through Sundays from 8:30 AM through 10:00 PM.