Speightstown's Owen Almighty Just That In Tampa Bay Derby

After running too good to lose when going down to a narrow defeat at the hands of John Hancock (Constitution) in the Sam F. Davis Stakes when last seen, Flying Dutchmen Breeding & Racing's Owen Almighty (Speightstown) was kicked straight into the lead from his rail draw in Saturday's GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, controlled the pace through even sectional times and ran away from his half-dozen rivals in the final furlong to earn 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. But it may be a different target altogether on the first Saturday in May.

The third choice at 29-10 to the comebacking 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) and outposted 'Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief), the $360,000 Keeneland November weanling and $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling was in front soon after the start and made the running in advance of longshot Brodeur (Nyquist), as second favorite Patch Adams was once again not the quickest away and was consigned to a three-wide run into the turn. Chancer McPatrick landed in the perfect spot from his draw in two, the addition of blinkers landing him handier to the pace in the box seat through the opening exchanges.

By the first quarter in a moderate :23.84 and the half in a hasslefree :48.16, Owen Almighty put Brodeur away approaching the entrance to the straight, while Patch Adams was making hard work of it three wide under a busy Florent Geroux ride. Chancer McPatrick loomed the only danger if able to finish off his race while making his first start since a sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but instead, Owen Almighty kicked on nicely when asked and was never in danger as the chalk plugged on at one pace into second. Hill Road (Quality Road), making his first start for Chad Brown, rallied from the back of the field to be third, while Patch Adams was a lackluster fourth. The final time for the 8 1/2 furlongs on a fast strip was 1:42.30.

According to published reports, Owen Almighty is targeting the GII Pat Day Mile and not the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

“There will be conversation,” trainer Brian Lynch said in a TV interview. “But if I was to have my way I'd still stick to the plan and go to the Pat Day Mile.”

Lynch was winning his second renewal of the Tampa Bay Derby after Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) in 2022.

Impressive in taking his Churchill bow June 20 and the Ellis Park Juvenile Aug. 11, Owen Almighty was runner-up to 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) in the GIII Iroquois Stakes in September before calling it a season. The bay led every step of the way en route to an apparent victory in this track's Pasco Stakes over seven furlongs Jan. 11, but he badly hampered a rival three furlongs out and was demoted to fifth of six. He hounded John Hancock every yard of the Sam F. Davis last time with blinkers added for the first time and fell just a head short, setting him up for this recovery mission on Saturday.

“I'm just thrilled. He's run two crackerjack races here (the Sam F. Davis and today) and of course this Derby is the big race of the meet, so it's nice to see him take it in the fashion he did,” Lynch said. “This is a good field of horses and it's not to say the (Kentucky) Derby winner couldn't come out of it, but he was the best today.”

“It was a great ride by Irad. I didn't give him any instructions–I just said one thing to him I learned from Bobby Frankel: 'class horse, class rider. You two are a perfect match.' Irad was just waiting (at the quarter pole), he knew he had plenty of horse.”

Pedigree Notes:

Champion Speightstown, who sadly passed away in December 2023, was being represented by his 68th group/graded winner and Owen Almighty was becoming the first graded winner produced by a daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Bayern.

Tempers Rising carried the colors of her breeder to a runner-up effort in the 2020 GII TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks and Owen Almighty is her first foal. A half-sister to the stakes-winning Mac The Man (El Corredor), also from a Gone West line, Tempers Rising is also the dam of a now Irish-based juvenile colt by Constitution who fetched $185,000 from Blandford Bloodstock at the 2024 Keeneland September Sale. The mare produced a colt by Not This Time last year and she was barren to Bolt d'Oro for 2025.

#1 OWEN ALMIGHTY ($7.80) goes gate-to-wire in the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3) with @iradortiz in the saddle for @BLynchRacing and @flyingdutchky.
He earns 50 points on the @SpendthriftFarm 🌹 Road to the @KentuckyDerby. pic.twitter.com/0soHZuFGZB

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 8, 2025

Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs
LAMBHOLM SOUTH TAMPA BAY DERBY-GIII, $350,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 3-8, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.30, ft.
1–OWEN ALMIGHTY, 120, c, 3, by Speightstown
      1st Dam: Tempers Rising (GSP, $311,482), by Bayern
      2nd Dam: Marchmont, by Mountain Cat
      3rd Dam: March On He Said, by Stop the Music
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($360,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $350,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing LLC; B-Mark Stanley (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $210,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-0, $484,310. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Chancer McPatrick, 124, c, 3, McKinzie–Bernadreamy, by Bernardini. ($260,000 Ylg '23 FTKJUL; $725,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Flanagan Racing; B-Rigney Racing, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $70,000.
3–Hill Road, 120, c, 3, Quality Road–Exotic Notion, by Lemon Drop Kid. ($350,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Amo Racing USA; B-Lynch Bages LTD & Camas Park Stud (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $35,000.
Margins: 3HF, 2 3/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 2.90, 2.10, 4.50.
Also Ran: Patch Adams, Brodeur, Naughty Rascal, Filoso.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.