Gio Ponti preps for World Cup at Tampa Bay

For dual Eclipse Award winner GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat), the road to Dubai

goes through suburban Tampa, Florida, on Saturday as the five-year-old preps for

the March 27 Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) in the $150,000

Tampa

Bay S. over 1 1/16 miles on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs. Eight rivals have

been entered to face the champ, though two have been cross-entered in Saturday's

Canadian Turf S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Gio Ponti easily snagged top honors as champion turf male last season

following wins in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1), Manhattan H. (G1), Man o' War

S. (G1) and Arlington Million (G1). Gio Ponti also displayed a fondness for

synthetic when finishing second to Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) in the Breeders'

Cup Classic (G1), a performance that swayed a majority of voters to support him

for champion older male honors as well despite the lack of a stakes win on

either dirt or synthetic.

It's that very fondness for synthetics that has led trainer Christophe

Clement to point the bay toward the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan next

month, which will be contested for the first time on Tapeta. The decision to

prep at Tampa rather than in more logical spots such as the Donn H. (G1) or

Gulfstream Park Turf S. (G1) earlier this month was reportedly one of timing, as

Clement preferred the spacing between Saturday's race to the World Cup.

The most serious challengers to Gio Ponti on paper may be MAMBO

MEISTER (King Cugat) and KARELIAN (Bertrando). Mambo Meister, who was

cross-entered to the Canadian Turf, is a Grade 3 winner on dirt but also a minor

stakes winner over the Calder turf. He did place twice on turf at the graded

level last season in the Fourstardave H. (G2) and Miami Mile H. (G3). Karelian,

dead-heat victor of the 2008 River City H. (G3) at Churchill Downs, missed by a

nose in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) last October prior to decent sixth in the

Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). However, the eight-year-old retreated to eighth after

setting the pace when defending his River City title on November 27.

RAHYSTRADA (Rahy), an ex-claimer who upset the 2009 River City at nearly

57-1, will probably be viewed by most bettors as a candidate to regress against

this tougher field. PICKAPOCKET (Mecke), the other cross-entered to the Canadian

Turf, was recently second in the Sunshine Millions Turf over a fast-playing

course at Gulfstream but failed to place in a state-bred stakes over the Tampa

Bay turf last season. PUBLIC SPEAKER (Distorted Humor) is arguably the most

intriguing of the upset candidates, having won seven of his last 12 including the

Sea O Erin H. on turf and Robert F. Carey Memorial H. on dirt in Chicago last

fall. He was successful in a one-mile turf allowance at Tampa Bay on January 29.