OLDSMAR, Fla. – Litigate came out of his breakthrough victory in the Sam F. Davis in good order, trainer Todd Pletcher reported early Sunday, with a next start for the Blame colt still to be determined. Pletcher extended his own record for most wins in the Grade 3 Sam Davis to seven when Litigate, ridden by Luis Saez, rolled to a convincing 1 1/4-length triumph in the $200,000 race on a rainy late Saturday afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs. Pletcher said from his winter base at the Palm Beach Downs training center in Delray Beach that he and the colt’s owners, the Centennial Farms partnership, are “keeping all options open” in regard to a next start for Litigate, who was making his stakes debut and just his third start overall in winning the 1 1/16-mile Davis with a 76 Beyer Speed Figure. He returned $7.60 as second choice in a field of 11 3-year-olds and earned 20 qualifying points toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby. Just one of Pletcher’s six prior Davis winners, Destin in 2016, returned four weeks later to win the annual Tampa showcase, the Tampa Bay Derby. March 11 is the date for the Tampa Bay Derby, which Pletcher also has won a record five times. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Litigate joins a growing list of 2023 Derby hopefuls in the Pletcher barn led by Forte, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and reigning divisional champion. Meanwhile, Dubyuhnell was not a factor when eighth in the Davis as the 2-1 favorite. The colt was checked sharply by Jose Ortiz amid crowding into the first turn and did little running afterward. “He’s fine,” trainer Danny Gargan reported early Sunday. “The race is a throwout.” Also, trainer Mark Casse said Sunday that further diagnostic work was to be performed on Champions Dream, who was virtually eased for the stretch run of the Davis by Tyler Gaffalione. “He blew a hind shoe in the race and came back a little off in his left front,” Casse said. “He did not cool out well.” Conversely, Casse was happy with the overall performance of his latest champion, Wonder Wheel, who was second by a neck under Gaffalione behind 38-1 shot Dreaming of Snow in the preceding race Saturday, the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes. Dreaming of Snow got an 83 Beyer out of the one-mile, 40-yard race. Wonder Wheel “did get a little tired,” Casse said. “She did have a wide trip because Tyler wanted to keep her out of trouble, so I’d think her sheet number will come back pretty good.” Wonder Wheel, the 1-2 favorite, was another 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the Pletcher-trained Dreaming of Julia in third. Wonder Wheel returned Saturday night to Casse’s training center in Ocala, Fla., where she will continue to train toward the April 8 Ashland at Keeneland, which will be her final prep for the May 5 Kentucky Oaks. Meanwhile, trainer Gerald Bennett was still enjoying the Suncoast victory Sunday morning. Bennett, 78, is one of only 14 trainers in North American racing history to win more than 4,000 races. “I haven’t even thought about where we’ll run next,” he said. “We’ve always trained this filly to go longer, even last summer at Monmouth Park. We knew when we stretched her out she’d be a lot better.” Dreaming of Snow earned 20 qualifying points to the Oaks, which Bennett said he will “definitely be thinking about” in considering a next start. “We’ll give it a few days and see how she does.” In a pair of six-furlong stakes that preceded the Suncoast and Davis, Sibelius got a 100 Beyer in winning the $75,000 Pelican in a stakes-record 1:08.75 – numbers that surely will land him an invitation to the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 25 – and Drifaros got an 85 Beyer in winning the $50,000 Minaret in a field of seven fillies and mares. A possible inside speed bias on the main track appeared to be in play for much of the day, although Litigate did drop about five lengths off the early pace before rallying for his win. The track was rated fast throughout the day while eventually absorbing a considerable amount of rain that began as a light drizzle nearly two hours before the Davis. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.