OLDSMAR, Fla. (AP) -The end came at the beginning for War Pass.
Restless in the gate, bumped at the start and perhaps bothered by a fever, War Pass never got untracked and shockingly finished last in the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday, with Big Truck edging Atoned by a neck.
The loss was the first for War Pass after five front-running victories, and left trainer Nick Zito wondering how it all went so wrong for his leading Kentucky Derby contender.
``I saw him get squeezed back at the start; was that the race right there?'' Zito asked.
The defeat took place before a record Tampa Bay Downs crowd of 12,746 fans, who cheered War Pass as he was led onto the track with Zito walking alongside his star 3-year-old.
But it was not a good day for War Pass, the 2-year-old champion who entered the 1 1-16-mile race off a 7 1/2-length win in an allowance race last month.
Sent off at odds of 1-20, War Pass moved up to third rounding the first turn behind leaders Gentleman James and Make Me Zach. War Pass, with Cornelio Velasquez aboard, remained third along the backstretch, and appeared to challenge for the lead before fading around the final turn.
Meanwhile, Atoned and Big Truck picked up the pace, took charge heading for home and dueled down the stretch. Urged on by Eibar Coa, Big Truck rumbled past Atoned inside the sixteenth pole for his first win in three starts this year.
Dynamic Wayne, a 49-1 long shot, was third, followed by Make Me Zach, Cigar Man, Gentleman James and War Pass.
``You saw what happened, but he got moving and I thought was in a good position going down the back, but when Velasquez asked him nothing happened,'' Zito said. ``I don't know what happened. I just don't know.''
War Pass owner Robert LaPenta said his colt had a fever earlier this week.
``He wasn't himself today,'' LaPenta said. ``We wanted to come out of the gate and take the lead around the first turn. ... War Pass had some fever this week and we thought he'd be OK. But obviously it wasn't his day.''
War Pass was scheduled for a final Derby prep - the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York on April 5 - but LaPenta said the plan would be re-evaluated.
In other Derby prep races Saturday, Sierra Sunset won the $300,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, with favorite Z Fortune finishing fifth, and Georgie Boy beat Gayego by three-quarters of a length in the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.
Big Truck, who ran second to the Zito-trained Fierce Wind in the Sam F. Davis at this track on Feb. 16, likely won't run again until the Derby at Churchill Downs in seven weeks.
Barclay Tagg figured running second to War Pass would be fine.
``I told Coa to ride for second,'' Tagg said. ``I told him if something happens to War Pass, if you ride for second he'll win the race. He felt the same way, and it kind of worked out that way. I mean, you just never know. Theoretically, you're not going to beat War Pass going a mile and a sixteenth here.''
So much for theories.
Big Truck, purchased for $90,000 by Eric Fein, returned $16.40, $5.80 and $25.20, while Atoned, trained by Todd Pletcher, paid $6.60 and $27.80. Dynamic Wayne paid $76.40 to show. The high show payoffs were created when the odds-on favorite finished out of the money.
Big Truck earned $180,000, boosting his career total to $336,880. Winning time for the race was 1:44.25.
Tagg, who won the 2003 Derby and Preakness with Funny Cide, now has himself three Derby hopefuls. His others are Elysium Fields, set to run in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 29, and Tale of Ekati, who runs next in the Wood.
For now, New York-bred Big Truck is the big horse.
``He's a beautiful mover, he does things very easily. He's very talented,'' Tagg said. ``I don't think he's a superstar. I'm not trying to demean him in any way. He's a wonderful, wonderful horse. We'll just have to see.''
In earlier stakes, Dreaming of Anna ($4.40) made easy work of 4-5 favorite Lear's Princess in taking the $175,000 Hillsborough Stakes on the turf and Awesome Chic ($28.20) upset a strong field in $200,000 Florida Oaks, with Elusive Lady second and 6-5 favorite My Baby Baby third.
Dreaming of Anna, the 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and 2-year-old filly champion, beat Lady Digby by 6 3/4 lengths, with Lear's Princess fourth in the six-horse field. Winning time for the 1 1-8 miles was 1:52.18.
Dreaming of Anna has won five of her last six races - all on the turf - and totals nine wins in 13 career starts.
Awesome Chic, ridden by Irwin Rosendo, won by 4 1/2 lengths and covered the 1 1-16 miles in 1:44.38.
