Chancer McPatrick, Hill Road bring class to Tampa Bay Derby

Mar 05, 2025 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Trainer Chad Brown will be looking for more tactical foot out of his two main Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders when they line up against each other, and five others, in Saturday's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3).

Chancer McPatrick and Hill Road will be adding blinkers for the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby, which serves as the season-opening race for both three-year-olds. The pair most recently ran in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar in November, when Chancer McPatrick ran below expectations while Hill Road vastly exceeded his.

Chancer McPatrick entered the Juvenile as the second choice following impressive, come-from-behind wins in the Hopeful (G1) and Champagne (G1). But in a race where no one from the back seriously challenged the Bob Baffert-trained pair of Citizen Bull and Gaming, Chancer McPatrick finished a dull sixth.

Hill Road, in contrast, was not expected to make much noise in the Juvenile. Trained at the time by Adrian Murray, Hill Road entered off a 1-for-2 record on turf in Ireland, the loss coming in his lone stakes try. But the son of Quality Road adjusted to the new surface well and defied his 61-1 odds, belatedly arriving on the scene to earn third money by a neck.

Chancer McPatrick has undergone minor ankle surgery and battled a quarter crack since the Breeders' Cup, which delayed his season debut. The timing of Hill Road's comeback has also been reportedly hampered by bone remodeling. Both colts are classy enough to win the Tampa Bay Derby, but it wouldn't be surprising if either or both are a little short to start.

Also returning from an extended layoff is Filoso, who finished third in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) and sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall. The form of both races, however, has not been subsequently flattered.

More active this winter has been Owen Almighty, who was demoted from first to fifth in the Pasco S. at Tampa before running a solid second in the Sam F. Davis S. with blinkers on for the first time. Naughty Rascal, who was elevated to first in the Pasco, was a fading sixth in the Sam F. Davis and will need to show much more.

That is also the case with Patch Adams, who lacked punch when finishing fourth as the 4-5 favorite in the Jan. 25 Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Also seen recently at the Hot Springs oval is stakes newcomer Brodeur, a Mark Casse-trained son of Nyquist who beat maiden and allowance foes there, both over wet tracks.

The Tampa Bay Derby offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points of 50-25-15-10-5 to the respective top finishers. The scheduled post time is 5:34 p.m. ET, and the race can be watched and wagered on at TwinSpires.com.