Prospective held off a stretch bid from Golden Ticket in game fashion to win the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) this afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs by three-quarters of a length.
Under a near perfect ride from Luis Contreras, Prospective broke well from post position one and was able to settle in to fourth early on as Cajun Charlie set a quick pace of :22.69 while leading by five lengths. Longshot Fox Rules was sitting in second, while Spring Hill Farm and Tell All You Know were also part of the leading group. Battle Hardened was next, followed by Chief Energy, Golden Ticket, Ravelo's Boy, Cozzetti, and Twin.
Cajun Charlie's large lead soon evaporated, and in fact Prospective was able to move up and take the lead shortly after a half mile and been run. He continued to lead down the backstretch, around the far turn, and into the homestretch, tactics different from his usual off-the-pace running style.
However, when Prospective turned for home, he left a large opening along the rail, and opening which jockey Manoel Cruz used to guide Golden Ticket into contention for the win. The colt, a longshot at 12-1, had saved ground throughout the entire race and had never once moved off of the rail. When he surged through along the fence to challenge Prospective for the lead, it appeared as though he was capable of going past the leader and pulling off a surprising upset.
However, Prospective had something left in the tank, and gamely turned back his rival's bid to secure a hard-fought victory, stopping the clock for the 1 1/16th miles distance in 1:43.35. Cozzetti rallied to finish third, while Spring Hill Farm rounded out the superfecta. Ravelo's Boy, Battle Hardened, Twin, Chief Energy, Fox Rules, Cajun Charlie, and Tell All You Know completed the order of finish.
-Keelerman
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