Fierce Wind blows through Davis

Four Roses Thoroughbreds' FIERCE WIND (Dixie Union) stamped himself as yet another Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful for Hall of Famer Nick Zito by capturing Saturday's $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Making his stakes debut, the dark bay colt reeled off 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 on the fast track to record his third straight victory.

When the gate sprang open, Honey Honey Honey (Awesome of Course) darted to the lead and established fractions of :23 4/5 and :48. In hot pursuit were 6-5 favorite Z Humor (Distorted Humor) and the rail-skimming Wise Answer (Wised Up). Z Humor put his head in front while reaching the six-furlong mark in 1:12 4/5. Meanwhile, Fierce Wind, who had been stalking in fourth with Cornelio Velasquez, advanced to challenge. Entering the stretch, Fierce Wind was moving much better than the floundering favorite, and he took command.

His work was not yet done, however, for the deep-closing Big Truck (Hook and Ladder) began to rev up inside the final sixteenth. Fierce Wind drifted to the outside as his margin was reduced, but he was always doing enough to stave off Big Truck by a half-length. Sent off as the nearly 7-2 second choice, Fierce Wind rewarded his supporters with payouts of $8.80, $4.60 and $3.40.

"I stayed in good position and watched for Garrett Gomez's horse (Z Humor), but he stopped at the quarter-pole," Velasquez recapped. "The other horse (Big Truck) came at the end, but I had a lot of horse. He'll run all day. I think he was waiting for the other horses. When the other horses tried to pass us, my horse responded like a big horse. He's a very nice horse, I think."

"This is that time of year when they all start coming out of the woodwork," assistant trainer Tim Poole said of the Derby trail. "(We) start to separate the men from the boys, and this is one of those stepping stones. He took a step in the right direction today. Hopefully we can stay on that path towards the ultimate goal -- you all know where that is."

The 9-1 Big Truck yielded $7.60 and $5.60 for his fine runner-up effort. Another three-quarters of a length back came Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz), who rallied for third in his two-turn debut and returned $4.20 at 4-1. The exacta was worth $74.60, the trifecta totaled $348.80, and with 64-1 longshot Dynamic Wayne (Eltish) reporting home three lengths farther back in fourth, the 4-6-7-5 superfecta was valued at $4,302.20. Z Humor wound up fifth and was trailed by Wise Answer, Wonder Mon (Maria's Mon) and Honey Honey Honey. Celtic Meal (Formal Dinner) was withdrawn.

Fierce Wind improved his mark to 5-3-0-0 while boosting his bankroll to $146,200. After finishing unplaced in his first two starts at sprint distances, the dark bay stretched out to one mile and 70 yards at Calder and steamrolled his maiden rivals by 10 1/4 lengths. Fierce Wind meted out a similar sort of treatment to his foes at Gulfstream Park last time out, taking a 1 1/8-mile allowance by 5 1/4 lengths.

Out of the winning A.P. Indy mare Post Parade, Fierce Wind is a full brother to Woodlawn S. hero Rebel Yeller. Post Parade is herself a full sister to multiple Grade 3 heroine Parade Queen, who is the dam of Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Untouched Talent (Storm Cat). Fierce Wind's fourth dam is *Bitty Girl (Habitat), the champion juvenile filly in England in 1973, and he hails from the family of Action This Day (Kris S.), the Eclipse Award winner as champion two-year-old male in 2003.

The winner was bred in Kentucky by W.S. Farish, Hilbert Thoroughbreds and Menard Thoroughbreds. A $90,000 purchase at the 2006 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Fierce Wind failed to reach his reserve when attracting a bid of $300,000 at last year's Selected Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Calder.