OLDSMAR - Given the “what have you done for me lately?” nature of horse racing, many Tampa Bay Downs fans might have wondered if five-time riding champion Antonio Gallardo had lost his edge during the first week of the current meeting.

    Gallardo won four races during the first five days, an acceptable figure for most jockeys but well behind the pace of his championship campaigns. But the Dec. 5 card, on which Gallardo rode five winners – including four in a row – served notice he intends to be a major force throughout the season.

    The 33-year-old Spaniard, who won the FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes on Saturday on 5-year-old mare Heiressall, stayed hot today, riding four winners to tie Samy Camacho at the top of the track standings, both with 16 winners.

    Gallardo, who has finished first or second on 12 of his last 15 mounts since Friday, won today’s first race on Ridgelysredhot, a 3-year-old filly owned and trained by Ron G. Potts.

    In the third race, Gallardo rode 6-1 shot Purchasing Power to victory. The 5-year-old gelding is owned by Humble Racing Stable and trained by Jose H. Delgado. Gallardo and Delgado also teamed to win the fifth race with sprint specialist High Five Cotton, a 6-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Carole Star Stables who has won four consecutive races.

    Gallardo made it four in the eighth race, scoring on 4-year-old gelding Kitten’s Spa for owner-trainer Jose Lozano Sanchez. The rider also had two seconds.

    Rainy weather forced the sixth and eighth races to be switched from the turf course to the main dirt track.

    The well-bred 3-year-old gelding Contraflow turned heads in the second race, dominating five rivals en route to a 3 ¼-length victory over 13-10 favorite Centrifuge. The winner’s time for the mile-and-40-yard distance was 1:39.26, .4 seconds off the track record.

    Contraflow, who was ridden by Hector Diaz Jr. for owner Phoenix Thoroughbred III and trainer Michael Stidham, is a son of 2007 Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, and is out of Gr. I winner Swap Fliparoo. He was bred in Kentucky by My Meadowview LLC.

    Also represented in the race were top stallions Into Mischief, Tapit, Malibu Moon and Take Charge Indy.

    Stidham and Diaz also teamed to win the seventh race with Federal Case, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Donald Dizney.

Around The Oval - Racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:42 p.m. Sunday racing starts this week, as the track moves to a four-days-a-week schedule for the duration of the meeting. The track will be closed Christmas Day, Dec. 25, but will stage a full card on Thursday, Dec. 24.

Tampa Bay Downs will conduct its annual “Calendar Giveaway” starting Saturday, Dec. 26. The 2021 edition will be presented to the first 10,000 patrons (with paid admission) and the giveaway will continue through Dec. 30, or when supplies run out. SPOILER ALERT: Relive one of the biggest upsets in recent track history while savoring 12 months of colorful equine photography!


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