War Pass upset in Tampa Bay Derby

War Pass is unbeaten no longer.

Restless in the gate and bumped at the start, the usually front-running War Pass never got untracked and finished last in the Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday, with Big Truck edging Atoned by a neck to move into Kentucky Derby contention.

The stunning defeat of the leading Derby contender came in front of a record crowd of 12,746, who cheered War Pass as he was led onto the track with trainer Nick Zito walking alongside his 3-year-old star.

But it was not a good day for War Pass, the 2-year-old champion who came into the 1 1-16-mile race with a perfect 5-0 record, including 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, ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, remained in third along the backstretch, and appeared to be challenging for the lead before fading around the final turn.

Meanwhile, Atoned and Big Truck picked up the pace 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.

"I saw him get squeezed back at the start; was that the race right there?" a disappointed Zito said. "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.

"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.

Big Truck, who ran second to Zito's Fierce Wind in the Sam F. Davis at this track on Feb. 16, will likely not run again until the Derby at Churchill Downs in seven weeks.

"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 returned $16.40, $5.80 and $25.20, while Atoned paid $6.60 and $27.80. Dynamic Wayne paid $76.40 to show. The high show payoffs came because the odds-on favorite finished out of the money.

Winning time for the race was 1:44.25.

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.