OLDSMAR, Fla. - Owen Almighty sped off to a dominant, front-running, 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, but that doesn’t change trainer Brian Lynch’s belief that the horse would be better suited to the Pat Day Mile, not the Kentucky Derby, on the first Saturday in May. Now, it’s just a matter of getting his owners on the same page. “I’m sure I’ll talk with the group, but if I had my way I’d cut him back to the Pat Day Mile,” Lynch, draped in a garland of flowers, said after the race. Owen Almighty earned 50 qualifying points to the May 3 Kentucky Derby and now has 65 points, which most assuredly gets him into the 20-horse Derby field. But Lynch believes the horse would be better suited to a turn-back then to a stretch-out in distance. Payton Boersma, the chief operating officer of Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing, which owns Owen Almighty, may need a little more convincing. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “This horse really showed what he’s made of today,” Boersma said. “He’s going to be really tough going into that Derby. The Kentucky Derby, of course.” There is certainly well-deserved euphoria over the way Owen Almighty ran in the Tampa Bay Derby, especially following a disqualification from first in the Pasco Stakes and a tough half-length defeat to John Hancock in the Sam F. Davis. On Saturday, equipped with a fuller blinker than he wore when second in the Sam Davis last month, Owen Almighty was more responsive when jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. asked him to run turning for home. That was after he got away with a half-mile in 48.16 seconds for the half-mile and 1:12.54 for six furlongs while maintaining a half-length advantage over a passive longshot Broedeur. “When I saw the half in :48, I thought he’s going to be a tough catch from here,” Lynch said. It was a strong final last eighth of a mile run that Owen Almighty put in and Ortiz attributes that to the full-cup blinkers. “The last two races he was waiting on horses, I said ‘Brian we need some bigger blinkers,’ “ Ortiz said. “Today, I feel some horses coming, so I tap him on the shoulder and he jumped on the bridle. I said ‘Oh boy, that’s what I was looking for.” Owen Almighty opened up in midstretch, running away from Chancer McPatrick, the two-time Grade 1 winner who, in his 3-year-old debut, finished second by 2 3/4 lengths over his Chad Brown-trained stablemate Hill Road. It was 2 3/4 lengths back to Patch Adams, who again broke slowly from the gate. Brodeur, Naughty Rascal and Filoso completed the order of finish. Owen Almighty, a son of Speightstown, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.30 and returned $7.80 as the 5-2 third choice. For Lynch, this was his second victory in the Tampa Bay Derby, having won it in 2022 with Classic Causeway, who finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby. “I’m 2 for 2 in the Tampa Bay Derby, I love it,” Lynch said. Both Chancer McPatrick and Hill Road were making their 3-year-old debuts, and their first starts since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last Nov. 1. Both were equipped with blinkers for the first time. Chancer McPatrick was much closer to the pace than in his previous races and jockey Flavien Prat felt the blinkers were a positive addition. “He ran very well,” Prat said. “It turned into a sprint, the winner kind of kicked away from us, but he ran a good race. I liked him with the blinkers.” Chancer McPatrick galloped out very well as did Hill Road, who, under Tyler Gaffalione, was last early and did race on his left lead through the lane. Overall, Chad Brown, who trains both horses, was pleased with their performances. “I would say both horses, the way they galloped out, are legitimate Kentucky Derby contenders now,” Brown said. “The way they accelerated on the gallop out along with how they came into the race physically, both horses were just a picture of health. I’m excited about their chances at a mile-and-a-quarter, if I can get them there.” Chancer McPatrick now has 35 Derby points, Hill Road has 24. One will likely be pointed to the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, the other to the Blue Grass at Keeneland, both on April 5. If they perform well enough, both could make it to the Kentucky Derby. The question is, will Owen Almighty be waiting for them if they get there? :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.