Hustled from his wide draw to get over and press the pace early, King Guillermo forced the issue while out in the clear through splits of :23.89, :48.16 and 1:12 flat. He took over from longshot Relentless Dancer (Midshipman) nearing the straight, and soon found himself several lengths in front with nobody near him. Sole Volante kicked on up the rail into second, but never came close to threatening the upset winner.
“I'm so happy, I say thank you to God and all the team–Mr. Juan Carlos Avila, the trainer, the owner, Victor Martinez, and everybody who made this dream possible,” said locally based pilot Samy Camacho, who is third in the current meet jockey standings. “I'm so excited and happy. My first Tampa Bay Derby and I want to keep doing my job and realizing my dreams. From the 3/8-mile pole I had a lot of horse and I was worried a little about Chance It (Currency Swap) and Sole Volante, but I had a lot of confidence in my horse because he was doing really well in the mornings. I hope he is going to the [GI] Kentucky Derby.”
King Guillermo is owned by former major league baseball player Victor Martinez.
“We had a lot of confidence in him,” said the five-time all-star. “His workouts have been great and he didn't do well at 5 1/2 furlongs in his first start, so we decided to put him on turf, but we still believed in him and his dirt workouts were really amazing. We had nothing to lose so we decided to give him one more shot on dirt and see what happens. This is absolutely something else. [Nothing in my baseball career] compares to this. I thank God for this opportunity and putting a great horse in my hands. My mom [Margot, part of a raucous winner's-circle celebration] taught me how to dream. She taught me dreams are for free. My dad died when I was six, and I always wanted to have a horse named for my dad.”
It was a particularly productive day for Avila, who annexed the GIII Challenger S. earlier on the card with Trophy Chaser (Twirling Candy).
Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs
LAMBHOLM SOUTH TAMPA BAY DERBY-GII, $351,500, Tampa Bay Downs, 3-7, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.63, ft.
1–KING GUILLERMO, 117, c, 3, by Uncle Mo&log=">Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Slow Sand, by Dixieland Band
2nd Dam: Slow Down, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: Corrazona, by El Gran Senor
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000
RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP; $150,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR). O-Victoria's
Ranch; B-Carhue Investments, Grouseridge Ltd. & Marengo
Investments (KY); T-Juan Carlos Avila; J-Samy Camacho.
$210,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-1, $240,350.
2–Sole Volante, 119, g, 3, Karakontie+%28Jpn%29">Karakontie (Jpn)–Light Blow, by
Kingmambo. ($6,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $20,000 2yo '19
OBSAPR). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Andie Biancone &
Limelight Stables Corp.; B-Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY);
T-Patrick L. Biancone. $70,000.
3–Texas Swing, 117, c, 3, Curlin–Derby Eve, by Tiznow.
($275,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Harrell Ventures, LLC; B-Susan
Casner (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $35,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 49.20, 1.50, 19.80.
Also Ran: Relentless Dancer, Chance It, Market Analysis, Spa City-(DH), Unrighteous-(DH), Letmeno, Bye Bye Melvin, Tons of Gold, Mo Mosa. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Pedigree Notes:
Currently among the top 10 general sires in the country, Uncle Mo is no stranger to leading sire lists and has been prominent with all five crops. King Guillermo is his 55th stakes winner and not the first to perform well in this race, with Outwork finishing second in 2016. Of course, Uncle Mo's Nyquist won both the GI Kentucky and Florida Derbies that same year and other top runners already in 2020 include recently retired Bast (GII Santa Ynez), Modernist (GII Risen Star S.), Carressa (GIII Megahertz S.), and King for a Day, who was second earlier on the Tampa Bay card in the GIII Challenger S. A half-brother to English stakes-placed Dorothy B (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), King Guillermo hails from the family of early 2000s MGSW & GISP Olmodavor (A.P. Indy). His dam, a half to 2018 GIII Pat Day Mile S. winner Funny Duck (Distorted Humor) and French GSW Slow Pace (Distorted Humor), is by Dixieland Band, who counts over 200 stakes winners as a broodmare sire. The mare's most recent foals are a pair of juvenile and yearling colts by American Pharoah, who sold as weanlings at the last two KEENOV sales for $275,000 and $190,000, respectively.
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