OLDSMAR, Fla. - When it comes time to sit down with his owners to discuss future plans for Tampa Bay Derby winner Owen Almighty, trainer Brian Lynch will have plenty of evidence to make his case for running him in the Grade 2, $600,000 Pat Day Mile instead of the $5 million Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs on May 3.  But will it be enough to cure that sometimes dreaded disease known as Derby Fever?  “We’ll have to have a sit-down,” Lynch, who trains Owen Almighty for Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing, said Sunday morning. “If that’s the route they’re going to want to go, we’ll do the best we can to get him there.”  Lynch said he has concerns about Owen Almighty’s ability to get the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles. However, he admitted that in watching Owen Almighty close Saturday - he got his last 2 1/2 furlongs in 29.76 seconds - “it gives you a little bit of hope you could stretch him out a bit farther,” Lynch said.  “It definitely went his own way yesterday, nice, easy half, cruising the three-quarters, but it’s all trial-and-error as we go along,” Lynch added.  :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Owen Almighty got away with a half-mile in 48.14 seconds and six furlongs in 1:12.54, receiving only token pressure from Brodeur. Once Owen Almighty dispatched Brodeur, he had plenty left to kick away from two-time Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick, who was making his first start in four months. Owen Almighty won by 3 1/2 lengths.   “In the Derby, you’ll have a 20-horse field and the half could go in 46 seconds, just a completely different scenario,” Lynch said.  Owen Almighty’s time for the Tampa Bay Derby - 1:42.30 - was the second-fastest behind only Tacitus, who ran 1:41.90 in 2019. Owen Almighty earned a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure for Saturday’s win.  Since 1982, the Tampa Bay Derby has produced two Kentucky Derby winners from 47 starters. Both Street Sense, who in 2007 won both races, and Super Saver, who was third in the 2010 Tampa Bay Derby, were making their seasonal debuts in this race.  Since Street Sense, there have been 13 Tampa Bay Derby winners who have run in the Kentucky Derby. Tacitus, who crossed the wire fourth but who was elevated to 3rd due to the disqualification of Maximum Security, had the best finish.  Owen Almighty was making his third start of the year in the Tampa Bay Derby following solid runs in the Pasco Stakes - from which he was disqualified from first for interference in January - and a runner-up finish to John Hancock in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in February.  Lynch said if the decision is made to point to the Derby, he would prefer to run the horse once in between, likely in a 1 1/8-mile race such as the Blue Grass or the Wood Memorial. If the Pat Day Mile is the race of choice, Lynch said he would feel comfortable training up to that race.  “We’ll see how he bounces back out of this race,” said Lynch, who added all looked good Sunday morning.  Meanwhile, Chad Brown will give Tampa Bay Derby second- and third-place finishers Chancer McPatrick and Hill Road a try in a 1 1/8-mile stakes race in early April to try and get either or both to the Kentucky Derby.  Chancer McPatrick, equipped with blinkers for the first time, raced closer to the pace than he had in his races last year, which included Grade 1 victories in the Hopeful and Champagne, and still ran on well to be a clear second. He also galloped out past the field.  Hill Road, making his first start for Brown, also wore blinkers for the first time on Saturday. While he was last of seven early, he finished decently while still racing on his left lead, something he did when finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year.  One will likely run in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Blue Grass at Keeneland, the other in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial. Both races, on April 5, offer Derby qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis. Brown has won three of the last seven runnings of the Blue Grass.  “I was really happy with the way both horses ran and galloped out in the first race of their 3-year-old year,” Brown said. “If they stay healthy, I think they both will be really primed for a good race four weeks from now.”   :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.