Promising 3-year-olds Confessional and Renegade are set to compete against seven rivals in the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 7. Confessional, trained by Brad Cox and sired by Essential Quality, seeks to stretch out beyond 7 furlongs for the first time after a strong allowance runner-up finish at Gulfstream Park. Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and by leading sire Into Mischief, is a graded-placed maiden who finished second in the Remsen Stakes and is aiming to improve in this key Kentucky Derby prep race that awards qualifying points to the top five finishers.
On the same Tampa Bay Downs card, the $125,000 Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies features Pletcher’s highly regarded filly Zany, a daughter of American Pharoah who won the 2025 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) by 8 1/2 lengths. Other notable entrants include Life of Joy, trained by Cox and a daughter of Gun Runner, who adds blinkers after finishing fourth in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2). Both the Sam F. Davis and Suncoast Stakes serve as important stepping stones on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively, offering qualifying points to their top finishers.
