Calumet's Region Of Merit Morning Line Favorite For Tampa Bay Derby
By: John Gaver III

(Mar. 15, 2003) - Nine 3-year-old colts will attempt to rise from the ranks of relative obscurity and land on the list of contenders for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (GI) in the 23rd running of the mile and a sixteenth Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) on Sunday, Mar. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.

Calumet Farm, the Lexington, Ky. Thoroughbred nursery that has won the famed "Run for the Roses" a record eight times, owns 5-2 morning line favorite Region Of Merit, a chestnut colt by the hot young stallion Touch Gold, also the sire of Swale Stakes (GIII) winner Midas Eyes and the top sophomore filly Composure.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Region Of Merit enters this year's renewal of the Tampa Bay Derby riding a three-race win streak, the most recent of which coming in an entry-level allowance event at Gulfstream Park on the Fountain Of Youth undercard (Feb. 15), where he toyed with a good field that included the stakes-placed colt Spite The Devil.

The chestnut stalked the pace and put away fellow Tampa Bay Derby entrant Aristocat in his first start of the year and has won his past three outings - at distances from seven furlongs to a mile and 70 yards - by a combined total of eight lengths.

Region Of Merit's primary opposition figures to come in form of the Glen Hill Farm homebred Strength Within, who not only is coming off an impressive second-place finish to the touted Lion Tamer in the Hutcheson Stakes (GII) at Gulfstream on Feb. 15, but also will be running over a racetrack that he has trained over all winter.

Tom Proctor, who conditions Strength Within, is currently winning races at a 41 percent clip at Tampa Bay Downs, and his charge's three-furlong blowout in :36 flat over the deep surface in Oldsmar, followed up by a half-mile move in :48 3/5 on Mar. 11, indicates the Florida-bred son of Belong To Me is in fine fettle. The lightly-raced colt will be making just his fourth career start in the Tampa Bay Derby, but both his losses have come at the hands of top 3-year-olds Lion Tamer and Great Notion.

Like Region Of Merit, Michael Tabor's Aristocat, 4-1 on the morning line for trainer Todd Pletcher, is coming off an eye-catching allowance win on the Fountain Of Youth undercard, though this chestnut son of Tale of the Cat was beaten by Region Of Merit in arguably the toughest entry-level allowance race of the winter at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 11. Aristocat had a viable excuse in that race, however, as he finished with interest to be second, beaten a length and a half, despite having to steady at the head of the stretch.

Olga Paradise's White Buck, who was all out to win the sloppy Sam F. Davis Stakes by a neck at 27-1 on Feb. 22 for trainer Jerry Paradise, and Freedom Lane, who was a neck behind White Buck in the Sam F. Davis for trainer Duane Knipe, are back for a return engagement in the Tampa Bay Derby. Popular Groom, a recent entry-level allowance graduate at Gulfstream, and Hear No Evil, who just missed winning the $50,000 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in his last start, complete the list of primary players in the nine-horse field.

The complete field for the 23rd running of the Tampa Bay Derby, in post position order with jockeys, weights and morning line odds is Fast Eddie, Martin Ramirez, 116, 20-1; Cajun Beat, Gary Boulanger, 118, 10-1; White Buck, Roger Velez, 120, 10-1; Strength Within, Mark Guidry, 116, 7-2; Popular Groom, Joe Judice, 118, 5-1; Aristocat, John Velazquez, 118, 4-1; Hear No Evil, Manoel Cruz, 123, 6-1; Freedom Lane, Russell Woolsey, 118, 20-1 and Region Of Merit, Eibar Coa, 120, 5-2.

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