Tampa Bay: Prospective bounces back from Breeders' Cup flop to take Pasco

Angled outside in the turn, Prospective rallied down the middle of the track and wore down Wildcat Creek in the final strides to post a half-length win Saturday in the $100,000 Pasco Stakes for 3-year-olds at Tampa Bay Downs.

Prospective, who was making his first start since finishing last of 13 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs last fall, returned $7.20 as the second choice of the field of 10.

"It disappointed me," said trainer Mark Casse, referring to the BC Juvenile. "Whenever you see a race like that. … but, I have a little more faith after today."

Casse said the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes here on Feb. 4 could be next on Prospective’s agenda.

Ridden by Luis Contreras Prospective covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.88, just .21 of a second off the stakes record - while winning his third race from five career starts.

Prospective, who won the Grade 3 Grey Stakes on Polytrack at Woodbine in October, endured some early bumping out of the gate in the Pasco, but that didn’t concern Casse or Contreras since the horse does his best running late.

“He did get bothered a little bit, but I wasn’t expecting him to be close, anyway,” Casse said. “So it kind of worked out fine.

Wildcat Creek, second in last month's Inaugural at Tampa Bay, ran game in defeat, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of 9-5 favorite Adirondack King, who rallied to get third.

John Servis, the trainer of Adirondack King, was pleased with his colt’s effort, considering he and jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr. had some trouble breaking from the rail.

“I don’t think the No. 1 post helped,” Servis said. “She had to steady a little bit going into the turn, but all in all I’m happy with his race. I would have liked to see him win, but I’m not disappointed at all.”

For Oby, the 3-1 second choice on the basis of his nose defeat in the Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream Park, broke down and fell after the finish while unseating Juan N. Delgado. The jockey was transported by ambulance to Mease Countryside Hospital to be examined.