The 2025-26 Tampa Bay Downs Stakes schedule kicks off on Saturday, December 6, featuring the 40th running of the $125,000 Inaugural Stakes and the 48th running of the $125,000 Sandpiper Stakes, both for 2-year-old fillies. Each race covers six furlongs on the main track.
The Inaugural Stakes drew 29 nominations, including 27 colts and geldings alongside one filly and one roe, while the Sandpiper Stakes received 30 entries. The Inaugural Stakes serves as a prep race for the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes for newly turned 3-year-old fillies on January 10, while the Sandpiper Stakes is a lead-up to the seven-furlong Gasparilla Stakes scheduled for the same day.
Among the Inaugural Stakes contenders is Hammond, a Kentucky-bred colt with two wins under his belt, including a victory in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Safi A. Joseph Jr., Hammond tests if two weeks between races suits Charlatan’s son.
Joseph has also entered three other horses: Langvad, who won at Gulfstream on November 8; Solitude Dude, who triumphed by nine and a half lengths in his sole start at Gulfstream on November 1; and Staked Strategic Reserves. Trainer Brian Lynch, last year’s winner with Donut God, has nominated two colts owned by Flying Dutchman Breeding and Racing, including Mob, who debuted at Churchill Downs on Sunday, and Roger That Dana, who won his first race at Gulfstream on October 25.
Top trainer Brad Cox enters two newcomers: Commandment, who secured his first win at Churchill on November 1, and Dung Dei, who won his debut race in Louisville on November 5.
For the Sandpiper Stakes, Kathleen O’Connell, Tampa Bay Downs’ leading trainer over the past two years and a two-time Sandpiper winner in the 1990s, has nominated Gerrard’s Cross. This Florida-bred mare, owned by breeder James Chiclo, boasts two wins in as many starts, including a victory in the Colleen Stakes on Monmouth Park’s turf last July.
Joseph’s stable includes five contenders, such as Tesselate, who dominated the Juvenile Fillies Sprint S at Gulfstream by 13 lengths, and Mymis Moe, a 12-length winner at Gulfstream. Lynch has entered two fillies: Slay the Day, who broke her maiden at Churchill in mid-November, and Betty’s Pearl, owned by William K. Warner. Cox has nominated three horses for the event, including On Time Girl, a two-time winner who last raced at Keeneland in late October.
Links to candidates and their past performances for both the Inaugural and Sandpiper Stakes are available through Equibase.
This news is vital for horse racing enthusiasts as it highlights emerging talents in early-season stakes races, setting the stage for potential stars of the next generation. These prep races could shape the future of the sport by showcasing young horses who may go on to headline major events.
