It's time for the late-blooming Kentucky Derby colts to show their colors

Jan. 17 (UPI) -- It's that time of year when late-blooming Kentucky Derby contenders have to start to make good on their promise, and that's just how things played out during the Martin Luther King weekend action.

The big guns were silent for a week, leaving room for previously unheralded contenders to strut their stuff at Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn Park.

In the other divisions: Occult moved into the second spot on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard; Ginobili seems back from a long absence and ready to make waves among the older males; and Oeuvre showed at Fair Grounds that while Illinois racing may be reeling, Illinois-breds still can hold their own just about anywhere.

Well, be that as it may, let's get on with things, starting with:

The Road to the Roses

Zydeceaux shipped across the peninsula from Gulfstream Park to post a front-running, long shot win in Saturday's $125,000 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

The favorite, Champions Dream, put in a late bid from well back, falling just a neck short. The others were well up the track as Zydeceaux and jockey Samuel Marin finished 7 furlongs in 1:24.64 over a fast track.

It was the third win from five starts for Zydeceaux, a Florida-bred colt by Cajun Breeze, and his second straight. Although he went to the post as the longest shot in the field, Marin said he was confident throughout.

"He was strong from the beginning and I knew I had a lot of horse in my hands," Marin said. "When I asked him, I knew he was going to roll."

Another one to watch: Verifying, a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Midnight Bisou, won his 3-year-old debut in a Saturday Oaklawn Park allowance by 5 1/4 lengths.

It was his first start since finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and trainer Brad Cox said it was a solid foundation for a start in a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race.

"It went better than planned," said Cox, whose Derby prospects currently number in double digits. "I've always liked this colt. Mentally, I don't know if he's always been as polished as some of the other ones but he's really starting to, I think, figure it out. I thought it was a huge run off the freshening since the Breeders' Cup."

At Gulfstream Park, trainer Todd Pletcher saddled two 3-year-old colts to victory in their debuts Saturday. Kingsbarns, by Uncle Mo, and Cuvier, a son of Collected, both raced professionally en route to victory and are worth putting on the watch list.

Pletcher has a history of training late developers into Triple Crown contention early in the year at Gulfstream Park.

"The dream is alive, right?" Pletcher quipped. He also trains Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte, who tops the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard.

The "Road" revs back up after the one-week pit stop with Saturday's Grade III Lecomte Stakes at Fairgrounds. The race has been a prolific producer of Triple Crown runners. Look for some of the Cox prospects to be well involved.

The Path to the Oaks

Occult took the lead a furlong from home in Saturday's $100,000 Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct and quickly kicked away from four rivals to win by 3 3/4 lengths.

Gambling Girl and Affirmative Lady were second and third as Occult, an Into Mischief filly trained by Chad Brown, ran 1 1/8 miles on a good track in 1:54.78 with Dylan Davis in the irons.

It was the second win from three starts, all in New York, for the Kentucky-bred filly and earned 20 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" leaderboard, putting her in second place behind only Breeders' Cup winner Wonder Wheel.

"When you have horses developing like this, all you can ask is that they do what you train them to do, and she's certainly done that," Brown said. "The water's going to get a lot deeper and she's going to have to get faster, but I'm really proud of her."

At Tampa Bay Downs, Opus Forty Two struck the lead in the lane in Saturday's $125,000 Gasparilla Stakes and held on through the closing strides to win by a nose over the onrushing Charlie's Wish. Personal Pursuit was third ,and the favorite, Dorth Vader, tired to finish a well-beaten sixth.

Opus Forty Two, a Mendelssohn filly, ran 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:24.91 with Daniel Centeno in the irons.

Opus Forty Two finished second in her first two starts up north but won her first heat Dec. 3 after shipping to Tampa. Trainer Arnaud Delacour said he will discuss with the owner whether to move along to the next stop on the Tampa Bay pathway for 3-year-old fillies, the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at two turns on Feb. 11.

Although Opus Forty Two broke her maiden almost 5 lengths going 6 furlongs, Delacour noted, "She didn't face the same caliber of horses that day and ended up hanging a bit when she was in front, so we weren't sure if she was good enough to compete against these. She proved that she was."

Classic / Dirt Mile

Ginobili shipped from California to Arkansas to show 'em how it's done in Saturday's $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park. After drafting behind the early long shot leader, Ginobili and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. shot to the lead on the turn and vanished from the radar screens, kicking away to win by 4 lengths, ridden out.

The 6-year-old Munnings gelding finished 1 mile on a fast track in 1:37.35. Runnin' Ray was second and 10-year-old Rated R Superstar finished third.

Ginobili was second in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, finished sixth in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct that December and then was out of action for nearly a year. He returned with a second-place finish in a Del Mar allowance in November.

"He sat off that speed horse, kind of a long shot, and just pushed the button when he thought it was time," winning trainer Peter Miller said. "There's a very good chance that he'll stay there, but we'll talk to the owners and see how he pulls up and kind of make a plan from there."

Distaff / Dirt Mile

Saturday's $200,000 Grade III La Canada Stakes was pushed back to Sunday by the inclement weather. When they finally got on track Kirstenbosch came running in the lane, caught pacesetting favorite in the final sixteenth and defeated that one by a nose. Smoothlikebuttah finished third.

Kirstenbosch, a 4-year-old Midnight Lute filly, finished the 1 1/16 miles on a good track in 1:44.19 with Kazushi Kimura riding for trainer John Sadler.

Kirstenbosch posted her third win from 10 starts and first in a stakes race. Kimura, leading rider at the 2022 Woodbine meeting, got his first Santa Anita victory after being shut out through his first 16 mounts.

At Turfway Park, Bella Conchita got rolling from the back of the pack on the turn for home in Saturday's $125,000 Likely Exchange Stakes, ran by most of the field and got home first by a head.

Grand Ave Girl held a substantial lead most of the way and just failed to last. Mejthaam rallied from last of 11 to fill out the trifecta.

Bella Conchita, a 5-year-old Kitten's Joy mare, ran 1 mile on the all-weather course in 1:38.01 with Rafael Hernandez riding for trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Coming out of three straight claiming races in which she was not taken for as little as $30,000, Bella Conchita went to the post at odds close to 20-1 and earned $73,624.

Turf Sprint

Oeuvre patiently stalked the pace in Saturday's $100,000 Nelson J. Menard Memorial for fillies and mares at Fair Grounds, went to the lead when prompted by jockey Jareth Loveberry and won by 2 lengths. The early leader, Charlie T, was second and the favorite, Astute, got home third with a wide rally from the back of the pack.

Oeuvre, a 4-year-old Shackleford filly, is another of those dangerous Illinois-breds trained by Chris Block. She finished about 5 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:06.26 and now has won four in a row and eight of her last nine, most of those at Hawthorne Race Course.

With Illinois racing teetering on the edge of extinction, Block noted, "A lot of the breeders in the state have proven that Illinois-breds travel well."

Around the world, around the clock

Dubai

The results sheet from Friday night's Group 2 Al Rashidiya Stakes showed no surprises with Godolphin blue in the first, second and third positions. It there was anything unexpected, it was the order in which they reported.

James Doyle allowed Valiant Prince to chase the early lead, got to the front with some 100 meters left in the 1 1/8-miles contest on the Meydan turf and held on to win.

Dubai Future, winner of the Grade III Bahrain Trophy, also came with a late move and actually got a brief lead but surrendered to finish second, 3/4 lengths back. And Ottoman Fleet, the favorite in the international markets, got there third, another 1/2 length in arrears.

Valiant Prince, a 5-year-old Dubawi gelding, won both his starts during last season's World Cup Carnival but had been idle since winning a listed event at York last June.

"It was a big step forward on what he's achieved in the past," Doyle said. "We were drawn well, but it got a little hairy on the bend and the two in front got away.

"It kind of suited him as he doesn't want to see much daylight and the way he picked up was quite a surprise. He felt like he was always going to win comfortably."

Also on the Friday evening program, Tiger Nation, a Tamarkuz colt, notched his second win from as many starts, taking the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial by 1 1/4 lengths after leading most of the way under Mickael Barzalona.

Es-Unico, previously raced in Uruguay, was second and the remainder of the field was well out of things. Tiger Nation ran 1,400 meters on the Meydan dirt in 1:24.51.

"It wasn't an easy race and I wasn't sure what to expect, but it couldn't have gone better," Barzalona said. "He's inexperienced but fast and powerful so he's got everything he needs to get the trip" in the 1,600-meters UAE Guineas Feb. 10.

There's a new Carnival race, the Thunder Snow Challenge at 2,000 meters on the dirt, named after the two-time World Cup winner who famously refused to run in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. Salute The Soldier, an 8-year-old who bounced back from a tough 2022.

Next Friday's Carnival evening features the Group 2 Zabeel Mile and the UAE 1000 Guineas.

England

Chichester came with a late run to win Friday's All-Weather Championships Fast-Track Qualifier at Newcastle, earning a spot in the £150,000 All-Weather Mile Championships over the same course and distance on Good Friday.

With Kevin Stott riding, Chichester made smooth headway to challenge for the lead with a quarter of a mile remaining. He then got clear to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Intuitive with the others well back.

"He showed there that he is more than capable of running on Finals Day and it would be nice to get him there. When things fall right, he is good," Stott said.

Meanwhile, back in the States:

Tampa Bay Downs

Tap Dance Fever dueled down the stretch with Pass the Champagne in Saturday's $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes and just did get a head in front under the wire. The other four finished well back.

Tap Dance Fever, a 5-year-old Tapiture mare, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.09 for jockey Jose Ferrer.

Gulfstream Park

Lightning Larry showed the way in Saturday's $75,000 Sunshine Sprint Stakes for Florida-breds and edged away in the stretch to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Cajun's Magic was second, 4 3/4 lengths better than Gatsby.

Lightning Larry, a 4-year-old colt by Uncaptured, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:12.61 with Jose Morelos aboard.

Sweet Dani Girl led from the start in Saturday's $75,000 Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf Stakes, briefly surrendered the lead and came again to win by 1 length. Mona Stella was second with a late move and Sugar Fix, the early challenger, settled for third.

Sweet Dani Girl, a 4-year-old Jess's Dream filly, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:35.57 for jockey Joel Rosario.