Champagneforashley Bubbly 3-Year-Old

Significant races are few and widely spaced at quaint and laid-back Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla. It seldom stirs, particularly since George Steinbrenner ceased to be a partner in its ownership.

But on a weekend when they ran for $500,000 and a Grade I bauble at Gulfstream and the Western challengers to Mister Frisky tuned up for the Santa Anita Derby in the San Felipe at Santa Anita, Champagneforashley stirred a languid Sunday afternoon at Oldsmar.

The New York-bred son of Track Barron made a particularly impressive 3-year-old debut in the Tampa Bay Derby, a race stripped of its Grade III designation this season.

The initial effort in Champagneforashley’s progression toward the Triple Crown was easily the year’s most impressive return effort by a 3-year-old not named Mister Frisky. It provided his first test of class, and Champagneforashley obviously has courage, a question unanswered in three races last season against fields he destroyed.

He overcame himself Sunday, which is particularly rare in an animal so inexperienced. He fought the jockey and outrider for five minutes before the race, broke flatfooted from the gate a length behind the field and rushed up to prompt a very fast pace over a tiring track.

Seldom does a horse as rank as Champagneforashley manage to win, especially after being away from competition for three months.

“See how easy it was,” trainer Howie Tesher said through a relieved smile. Champagneforashley came back bleeding from a gash on the nose, probably the result of his prerace tantrum, and with several small cuts on his legs. He came back hot, tired and still undefeated.

Tesher sounded more inclined to wait for the 1-mile Wood Memorial on April 21 at Aqueduct than to run 1 1/16 miles in the ungraded Preview Stakes April 7 at Gulfstream, where an 18-month drought and water restrictions have combined to create a quirky racing surface. “He was only really ready for seven furlongs,” rider Jacinto Vasquez said. “He’s got room to improve.”

Almost as impressive a return, albeit in defeat, was Summer Squall’s race Saturday in the seven-furlong Swale at Gulfstream, his first race since the Hopeful in August. He no longer is undefeated, but Summer Squall is on Lasix and back in the hunt.

Summer Squall, who bled profusely in a workout last month, was rumored to have other physical problems. He ran a strong race, however, while finishing second to Housebuster in a quickly run Swale.

The Triple Crown is not in Housebuster’s plans but very much in Summer Squall’s, and trainer Neil Howard will go to Keeneland for the Blue Grass, then to Churchill Downs. Housebuster is a prospect for the mile Gotham April 7 at Aqueduct.

The Florida Derby winner, Unbridled, also is taking the Blue Grass route, as is Slavic, an unimpressive second without excuse Saturday in the slowest of the last 35th runnings of the 1-mile Florida Derby. Roanoke was particularly disappointing, tiring badly after losing ground throughout. He will go to the Wood.

Rhythm will pass New York and go directly from Gulfstream to Kentucky for the Jim Beam Stakes March 31 at Turfway Park, where the defending divisional champion will make his first start since undergoing surgery to correct a respiratory condition.

The San Felipe appears to have been the Western version of the Fountain of Youth Stakes, in which all the favorites finished unplaced.

Pleasant Tap, Silver Ending and Tsu’s Dawning were up the track Sunday. Real Cash led, wire to wire. Warcraft was second. Now D. Wayne Lukas and Charlie Whittingham, who train the winner and runner-up, respectively, are back in the hunt, though barely.