Stonestreet Stables and WinStar Farm’s Carpe Diem turned in a stellar performance in his 2015 debut with a five-length win in the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2), affirming his status a leading contender for this year’s Triple Crown.
Carpe Diem’s victory was worth 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, giving him a total of 64, fourth-most on the current list. The top 20 horses are guaranteed a spot in the Derby starting gate.
Carpe Diem got an ideal ride from John Velasquez, sitting in third along the rail for the first six furlongs, when Velasquez swung his mount three wide to get a clear run on the leaders. Carpe Diem collared Divining Rod and roared past him at the head of the stretch, rolling to a powerful victory.
The final time on the fast track for 1 1/16-miles was 1:43.60
“We couldn’t be more pleased,” Carpe Diem’s trainer Todd Pletcher said. Johnny put him in a perfect position and he really kicked on at the top of the stretch. It was exactly what we were hoping for.”
“When they leave their 2-year-old season behind, you hope they come out like he did,” said WinStar Farm’s Elliott Walden. “Everyone who has watched him train said he has been training better than any horse in Florida, and it’s nice to see him put it together like that. He is just a natural athlete and has a great rhythm to him.”
Runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in his only loss, Carpe Diem won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland last autumn. He is now 3-1-0 in four starts. Saturday’s payday upped his bankroll to $919,800.
Carpe Diem was bred in Kentucky by Coffee Pot Stable and is a half-brother to J. B.’s Thunder, also a winner of the Breeders’ Futurity. The son of Giant’s Causeway was a $1.6-million co-sale topper at the 2014 OBS March 2-year-old Sale.
