Handsome Effort belies announcer’s call, breaks maiden at Tampa

As the field headed around the final turn in the third race at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday, Handsome Effort appeared to be going backward, prompting track announcer Richard Grunder to say, “Handsome Effort is under a ride and is not responding.”

But rider Samy Camacho, who had already won the first race on Tampa’s opening-day program, did not seem to agree. He swung the Handsome Mike 2-year-old out to the middle of the turf course and the gelding made a furious run down the stretch, getting up by a head in the last jump to prevail in a three-horse photo.

It was Handsome Effort’s first race back after shipping in from Indiana, and he broke his maiden in his eighth try for owner/breeder Thomas Foley. He paid $7.20 and earned $7,380, completing the mile in 1:39.02 to become Handsome Mike’s 39th winner of 2020 and solidifying his hold on ninth place on Florida’s leading sire list.