OLDSMAR, Fla. – Todd Pletcher had eight horses nominated to the Sam F. Davis Stakes. He needed only one. Pletcher, watching from his Atlantic Coast base, won the anchor event on an eventful Festival Preview Day card at Tampa Bay Downs when Litigate posted a breakthrough triumph in the 43rd Sam Davis. The victory extended Pletcher’s own record for most wins in the Grade 3 race from six to seven. Luis Saez was aboard Litigate for Pletcher and Centennial Farms when taking the lead at the top of the stretch of the 1 1/16-mile Sam Davis, powering home 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Groveland in a field of 11 3-year-olds. Litigate, a bay Kentucky-bred colt by Blame, earned 20 points toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby on a qualifying scale of 20-8-6-4-2. Litigate returned $7.60 as second choice after finishing in 1:44.83 over a track still rated fast, even after a light rain had fallen steadily for some 90 minutes beforehand. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Litigate broke swiftly from post 10 to be second into the first turn behind 43-1 shot Zydeceaux, who had been sent to the lead from his far outside post by Samuel Marin. Approaching the backstretch, Saez deftly eased Litigate back into a comfortable gait in fifth place, just a few lengths off the lead, after which Litigate commenced his rally by looping rivals leaving the half-mile pole. In the upper stretch, Litigate surged past Zydeceaux to take command while Groveland, a 21-1 chance ridden by Daniel Centeno, rallied up the rail to get second. Classic Car Wash was third, Classic Legacy was fourth, and Dubyuhnell, the 2-1 favorite, was never a factor when eighth. “We’re super-pleased with the effort,” said Stu Hampson, the Pletcher assistant on hand from their Palm Beach Downs base. “The 10-hole was a bit of a concern, but Luis got him out of there running, so we weren’t giving away any ground. Luis rode him impeccably.” The Davis marked the stakes debut of Litigate, who now becomes one of a half-dozen or so serious players for Pletcher toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby. Foremost among Pletcher’s powerhouse shed row is Forte, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and reigning division champ. Pletcher owns two Kentucky Derby wins, with Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017). Litigate, added Hampson, “had been training very well in the morning,” a main reason Pletcher chose only him to ship over for the Davis. “He really showed up this afternoon. We’re delighted for everybody involved.” Litigate’s prior races were a debut victory in an Aqueduct maiden sprint in November and a runner-up finish in a Jan. 8 allowance going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park. He earned $120,000 from a $200,000 total purse with his Saturday score for Centennial, which is managed by Don Little Jr., whose late father founded the ownership syndicate more than 40 years ago. Pletcher, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021, won his first Davis in 2006 with Bluegrass Cat and his sixth with Destin in 2016. Destin was his only trainee to also win the Tampa Bay Derby, which will be run here March 11 as a 100-point qualifier (50-20-15-10-5). Pletcher also holds the Tampa Bay Derby record with five wins. Hampson said confirmation of a next start for Litigate will be discussed in the coming days. Danny Gargan, the trainer of Dubyuhnell, said the colt “pretty much packed it in” after being checked sharply by Jose Ortiz in a crowd of horses entering the first turn. Dubyuhnell was making his first start since winning the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct in early December. The $2 exacta (1-5) paid $106.60, the $1 trifecta (11-5-6) returned $526.20, and the 10-cent superfecta (11-5-6-3) was worth $563.53. All-sources handle on an 11-race card that included three other stakes was $10,745,333, down 11 percent from the corresponding 2022 date. Ontrack attendance was 4,551. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.