By Matt Shifman and Bob Ehalt

The $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3), Tampa Bay Downs – Race 10 – The Sam F. Davis drew a full field of a dozen 3-year-olds that will take their chance on the Kentucky Derby trail with qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 available to the top five eligible finishers. There is only one horse in the field that earned any Derby qualifying points as of yet. A fast pace is expected. (4) Crazy Mason is in the best form of his career since coming to Tampa. In December he was second in the six-furlong Inaugural Stakes which prepared him well for an allowance victory going two-turns in which he rallied well to win as the odds-on favorite. He has the look of a horse that could take another step forward at a good price for a trainer that is again having a strong winter meeting. (7) Copper Tax will make his 2024 debut in the Davis for Maryland-based trainer Gary Capuano. Last year he won five races in a row which included a pair of stakes. He tried the Derby trail in the Remsen (G2) in December, but he did not take to the muddy sealed track at Aqueduct. (6) Agate Road is a bit of a wild card in the Davis and one of only two graded stakes winners in the field. He will go from turf to dirt after winning the Pilgrim (G2) last year and then ran fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). Last month he was second in the Dania Beach on the grass at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Todd Pletcher won the Davis seven times already. (10) West Saratoga is the other graded stakes winner in the field having taken the Iroquois (G3) on the Derby trail. To start this year, he was second in the Pasco behind a very speedy sprinter. Longer seems better for this guy that has a bit of back class. Betting strategy:  Exacta box: 4, 6, 7, 10.