Zydecaux wires Pasco Stakes; Opus Forty Two holds on in Gasparilla

Zydeceaux and Opus Forty Two were victorious in photos in the twin 3-year-old stakes featured Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, while Tap Dance Fever got the bob in another close finish in the Wayward Lass for fillies and mares.

Zydeceaux won the $125,000 Pasco, and Opus Forty Two accounted for the $50,000 Gasparilla, both of them contested at seven furlongs. Sandwiched between those highlights of a 10-race card, Tap Dance Fever edged the comebacking Pass the Champagne in the $50,000 Wayward Lass for perennial leading trainer Gerald Bennett.

All three stakes – the first at the Oldsmar, Fla., track following a traditional five-week gap in the stakes schedule – were run over a fast main track amid an unseasonable chill. Also, all three undercard races scheduled for the turf were transferred to the main track for the second straight day due to wet grounds.

Zydeceaux (9-1) wires the Pasco

On the lead from his outside post from the opening jumps, Zydeceaux put away Loco Abarrio leaving the half-mile pole, then held off a sustained inside run from 7-5 favorite Champions Dream in prevailing by a neck. It was another 8 3/4 lengths back to Shaq Diesel in a field of six colts and geldings.

Zydeceaux, a Florida-bred gelding ridden by Samuel Marin, returned $21.40 after finishing in 1:24.64. He earned $105,000 for his owners, Stud Carmen Cristina LLC, including $75,000 in statebred bonuses, when making his stakes debut after winning two of his first four starts, all of those at Gulfstream Park. The son of Cajun Breeze is trained by Ramon Minguet.

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Champions Dream, a last-out winner of the Grade 3 Nashua at Aqueduct, was making his first start in the care of Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, whose other Pasco starter, Armstrong, faded to last.

The stakes victory was just the second in the respective careers of Marin, who won the Long Branch last May at Monmouth Park, and Minguet, who won the 2020 Miss Gracie at Gulfstream.

Unlike at cross-state rival Gulfstream, Lasix treatment is permitted in stakes at Tampa. Between the two 3-year-old stakes, Zydeceaux and Champions Dream were among a half-dozen horses getting first-time Lasix.

Opus Forty Two (8-1) in Gasparilla

Opus Forty Two, ridden by Daniel Centeno, desperately staved off a late surge by Charlie’s Wish in winning the $50,000 Gasparilla. The winner, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Mendelssohn, earned $30,000 when ineligible for statebred bonuses.

Opus Forty Two was part of a scramble for the lead to the quarter pole, drawing off in midstretch before holding off the Florida-bred Charlie’s Wish by maybe a couple of inches. She returned $18.80 as fifth choice in a field of eight fillies, finishing in 1:24.91.

After finishing second twice on turf to start her career, Opus Forty Two was a last-out winner of a Tampa maiden race. She was making her stakes debut Saturday when also getting first-time Lasix.

“Since she came to Tampa, she really has done terrific,” said Arnaud Delacour, who trains her for Mark Grier. “It’s nice to see her win a race like this.”

Dorth Vader, the 7-5 favorite after winning the Sandpiper last month, was part of a crowded pace before fading to sixth.

Tap Dance Fever (4-1) takes Wayward Lass

Between the 3-year-old races, Tap Dance Fever and jockey Jose Ferrer rallied off a strong pace contested by favorites Beth’s Dream and Pass the Champagne for a head victory over Pass the Champagne in the 1 1/16-mile Wayward Lass.

Tap Dance Fever was coming off a Dec. 17 allowance win at Tampa, while Pass the Champagne was making her first start in more than 11 months. The winner, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Tapiture, is trained by Bennett for a four-way partnership. She paid $10 as third choice in a field of six fillies and mares after finishing in 1:44.09.

Beth’s Dream, co-favored with Pass the Champagne at 7-5, faded to third, 7 1/4 lengths behind the top pair. Miles of Smiles was a late scratch after being very fractious in the starting gate, leading to a slight delay.

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