Tampa: Picks for the Super High 5 carryover, KDBC Qualifier

There are four great reasons to bet the Saturday card at Tampa Bay Downs:

1. It’s a stakes-packed day highlighted by the running of the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier.
2. There’s a $2,161 Super High 5 carryover up for grabs.
3. The 12-race card is the focus of a $500 Tampa Bay Derby KDBC Qualifier tournament on TwinSpires.com.
4. Bettors who opt-in to the Tampa Bay Derby Day 15% Profit Boost promotion on TwinSpires.com will receive a 15% boost on winning win, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta wagers throughout the card. (Please note, tournament wagers will not count toward this promotion.)

Bettors hoping to win a share of the Super High 5 carryover will have to check out Race 1, an $8,000 claimer for older horses who have never won three races. The seven-furlong dirt dash has drawn a 12-horse field, but there isn’t much early speed in the mix, so we’ll favor #9 King Miano (2-1).

King Miano has set the pace in each of his last two starts over this track and distance, including when second by a head over this class level on Jan. 29. He’s eligible to shake loose on an easy lead in the Saturday opener. Key King Miano on top in the Super High 5, and if you’re playing the tournament, consider a large win bet.

Race 5 is the $125,000 Challenger (G3) for older horses racing 1 1/16 miles over the main track. #8 Skippylongstocking (7-5) has won this race twice before and appears poised for a three-peat while exiting a third-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup (G1). Tournament players can feel good about their chances betting Skippylongstocking on top of #6 Most Wanted (3-1) in a cold exacta.

Most Wanted won his first four starts, including the Oklahoma Derby (G3), before finishing second in the Clark (G2) to wrap up 2024. The Challenger marks his four-year-old debut.

As for the Tampa Bay Derby, #7 Patch Adams (2-1) is our choice in the seven-horse field. He ran deceptively well in the Southwest (G3) last time out, finishing fourth by 2 1/2 lengths despite a subpar trip. He previously smashed a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs with a powerful 102 Brisnet Speed rating, the highest number in the Tampa Bay Derby field.

RELATED: Tipsheet: 2025 Tampa Bay Derby

We suggest betting Patch Adams on top of an exacta using Sam F. Davis S. runner-up #1 Owen Almighty (5-1) for second place. We’ll try to beat morning-line favorite #2 Chancer McPatrick (8-5), who is making his first start off a four-month layoff.

Good luck!