US expert Tom Collins says smart performer will be hard to beat in Tampa feature

Our Country
9.00 Tampa Bay Downs
3pts win

Will Rogers Downs continues its two-month-long meet alongside racing at Tampa Bay Downs on Wednesday, and although both venues offer plenty of action to get stuck into, only one runner stands out across the cards.

That runner is Our Country, who makes his hotly anticipated return to the track after a five-month absence for trainer George Weaver in the closing $18,000 allowance-optional claimer (9.00) at Tampa.

It's a surprising bit of race placing from his sharp, young New York and Florida-based trainer, who worked as an assistant to the likes of D Wayne Lukas and Todd Pletcher before having a string of his own.

Weaver doesn't send many runners to Tampa Bay, indeed, he has had just 13 runners at the track since July 2017, which has resulted in four winners, one second and a further three places (a 31 per cent win strike-rate, 63 per cent place strike-rate).

Not only that, but Our Country was one of Weaver's sharpest juvenile last year. A $70,000 purchase, Our Country showed promise when fourth on debut after being short of room at the start and the form of that contest has subsequently worked out very well with the winner scoring at Listed and Grade 3 level, while runner-up Decorated Invader has since won a Grade 1.

Our Country duly got off the mark at the second attempt at the maiden level, fending off a Chad Brown-trained runner to win well.

Weaver decided to send him straight to Graded races after that and he ran well when fourth in the Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes (stumbled start), before finishing third in the Pilgrim Stakes a month later at Belmont.

Clearly a lot was expected of him and Weaver took a chance by sending him to the Breeders' Cup, where he was a never sighted eighth in the Juvenile Turf after a slow break. He was far from disgraced but could never get into the race on a track where there was a significant pace bias.

He hasn't been seen since but he clearly has a lot of ability and is highly regarded so the marked drop in class is interesting, albeit he is not in for a claim.

Weaver has booked Tampa stalwart rider Daniel Centeno and he has a decent middle draw in stall six for a stalker. His recent workouts at Palm Beach Downs have been encouraging and I'm very confident that he will make a winning return. A morning line price of 2-1 looks big given the strength of his form.

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