WPT sophomore Ring Weekend is set to make his stakes debut in Saturday’s $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2). With Kentucky Derby qualifying points awarded to the top four finishers, this handsome chestnut son of Tapit could have his Partners dreaming even more about the first Saturday in May by the end of the day.

WPT sophomore Ring Weekend is set to make his stakes debut in Saturday’s $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2). With Kentucky Derby qualifying points awarded to the top four finishers, this handsome chestnut son of Tapit could have his Partners dreaming even more about the first Saturday in May by the end of the day.

Following a game maiden win at Gulfstream on February 8, the Graham Motion trainee was originally pointed for the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park. However, Graham and WPT president Terry Finley called an audible earlier this week and decided to take a swing against the big boys at Tampa.

“There weren’t really any allowance options at Gulfstream for this horse the first part of March,” said Finley. “We figured a race like the Private Terms would attract a good number of horses eligible for the first level allowance. We heard the Tampa Bay Derby was coming up a bit light, crunched the numbers, and saw that the race didn’t come up leaps and bounds tougher than the stake at Laurel. This horse has never faced winners, but he’s improved in every start and came out firing as a three-year-old.”

Post time for the Tampa Bay Derby is 5:25 ET. Ring Weekend breaks from the rail under Daniel Centeno.