OLDSMAR, Fla. – Tether to Reality has the pedigree to be a star, but his connections had to wait a long while before the gelding could strut his stuff. That day finally came last Friday, when the 5-year-old son of Harlan’s Holiday made his career debut at Tampa Bay Downs in a $20,000 maiden special weight race, winning the six-furlong sprint by 3 1/2 lengths and stopping the clock in a snappy 1:10.81. He earned a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. Tether to Reality, a $250,000 yearling purchase, was produced by the Unbridled’s Song mare Unbridled Melody, who is also the dam of Tourist, the winner of the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Mile and an earner of $2.17 million. To pedigree handicappers, Tether to Reality was a slam dunk last Friday since all four of Unbridled Melody’s other foals produced from 2010-14 were good runners. Among them are Michael With Us, who won the $100,000 males’ division of the OBS Championship Stakes in 2013 and ran second in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes that year; Harlan’s Harmony, who won the $100,000 Skidmore Stakes for juveniles at Saratoga last August; and Mountain Music Man, the winner of the $100,000 Awad Stakes at Belmont Park in 2015. Joan Scott, who trains Tether to Reality for Klaravich Stables and Florida pinhooker Nick de Meric, said she was pleased with the horse’s effort last week. “I think he’s got plenty of talent,” she said. “I think he ran a great race. He was a little bit green coming down the lane, looking around a little bit. He’s 5, but there was still some greenness there.” De Meric said that minor problems such as sore shins as a 2-year-old and tender feet kept Tether to Reality from starting until age 5. The gelding is a New York-bred and is eligible for lucrative races there, but de Meric said Tether to Reality didn’t seem to thrive up north and will stay here for the time being. De Meric said that since Tourist won the BC Mile on turf, Tether to Reality soon will work on turf so his connections can decide whether to race him on dirt or turf next. ◗ Kasaqui, the winner of the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap last July, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 on Monday, his fifth work here since Dec. 15, as he prepares for his 7-year-old debut. Trained by Ignacio Correas, Kasaqui had a strong 2016 campaign that included runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 Arlington Million and the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes. One attractive option for Kasaqui is the Grade 3, $150,000 Tampa Bay Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for horses ages 4 and up here Feb. 11. ◗ The most interesting race on Wednesday’s 10-race card is race 8, a $22,500 maiden special weight race for older fillies and mares going one mile on the turf course. The major players include Street Strut, a 4-year-old Street Cry filly who most recently ran a close fourth in a rich maiden race at Saratoga in August, and Mo’ne Davis, a 4-year-old Bernardini filly who makes her career debut. Street Strut has been training well for trainer Bill Mott at Payson Park in south Florida, while Mo’ne Davis has been training well here for trainer Arnaud Delacour and the Lael Stables of Roy and Gretchen Jackson.