Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem Mar. 5, 2026

A good Thursday morning to you all! Big weekend coming up down here as it’s the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on Saturday, a 12-race program that includes three other graded stakes on the undercard. I feel like it never feels real for big days or opening days until entries come out. And now that they’re out, and I've looked over my Brisnet past performances, I’m feeling excited about this year’s edition. 

I think one cool part of the race is that it's filled with question marks. Further Ado figures to be one of the favorites and he’s making his three year-old debut. He’s proven around two turns, proven against graded stakes runners, but the shift from two to three has proven a big hurdle for many runners in the past. I haven’t seen the morning line and feel like Further Ado should be the default favorite based on that Grade 2 win at Churchill Downs last fall. The second and third choices I’m guessing will be Canaletto and Powershift, both of whom have raced only once and in maiden races. Canaletto was very impressive winning, and Powershift racked up a huge Speed rating finishing a close second on the Sam F. Davis undercard last month. 

There’s several horses exiting decent stakes-placed efforts and we even have Hulkamania running after his solid debut win at Tampa. And while big days are always stressful with a lot going on, it should be a good card for bettors to handicap and wager. And let's hope we see some horses go on to do big things on the Triple Crown trail. 

In the main office at Tampa Bay Downs, the hallways are covered in oversized win pictures of the past Tampa Bay Derby winners from several decades. I walked through there today before the races and spent some time looking at them; it’s so cool to see some of the names and people who have won the race. It’s also neat to see my bosses as they age from year to year in the win pictures! As they are aligned now, the last four runnings are separated in their own section because an office door splits up the 2021 and 2022 editions. 

Well 2022 was my first year calling the Tampa Bay Derby and I still remember Classic Causeway opening up late to win. It had rained a ton earlier that morning and the track was sloppy to start the day. But the sun came out mid-card and by the time of the Derby, it was a beautiful afternoon and the track had mostly dried out. I remember using the line “the sun shines bright on Classic Causeway” in part because he’d obviously earned points for the Kentucky Derby, but also because of the way the weather played out that day. 

The next year, Tapit Trice who was pushed along for like the final half of the race. I made a mental note to check in on him at the three-eighths pole and he was being pushed and not gaining much and I remember thinking “ok he’s not winning.” Then he started to pick them up at the top of the lane and in nod to my favorite horse ever, Captain Condo, also a gray, I said “And here comes that big gray Tapit Trice,” just like Gary Henson used to say when Captain Condo would make his move. 

In the history of big races I’ve had the pleasure to announce, the 2023 Tampa Derby was the weirdest. The national tote hub had some big issue and the race was run without wagering that year. Someday maybe I’ll write a whole column on that hour before and leading up to the race because it was surreal. I forget so much about the race because everything around it was so nuts. Domestic Product won in a crazy photo, that’s what I do remember. Last year Owen Almighty won what was probably the least exciting/eventful of the four I’ve gotten to call. He was owned by my old boss from Grants Pass Downs, so it was very cool to see him win. 

Hopefully, this year adds some history and excitement to Tampa Bay Derby lore. Best of luck if you’ll be playing with us!