No Catching Quatrocento in Tampa Bay Stakes
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Photo: SV Photography
Quatrocento pulls away in the Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
After being undone by unfavorable pace dynamics in three graded stakes to close out 2025, Quatrocento delivered in the Jan. 31 Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) when racing unchallenged on the lead.
Setting comfortable fractions of :23.94, :48.70, and 1:12.97 in the 1 1/16-mile, $150,000 grass contest at Tampa Bay Downs, Quatrocento spurted away from the competition over the final five-sixteenths of the race to post an emphatic 3 3/4-length victory over Tom's Magic . The winner, pounded late to 3-5 favoritism after hovering close to his 5-2 morning-line odds in the minutes before the start, was clocked in 1:41.51 over a course rated firm, topped by a final sixteenth in :05.79. He returned $3.40 to win.
"Obviously today was a good race for him. He could control the pace easy and finished strong," jockey Julien Leparoux told FS2 broadcaster Acacia Clement.
2025 Breeders' Stakes winner Tom's Magic, coming off a runner-up finish in the Nov. 29 Hollywood Derby (G1T) at Del Mar, rallied for second, a neck ahead of 2024 Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T) winner Win for the Money in third.
Quatrocento's victory Saturday was his first at the stakes level and his fifth overall in 15 starts. He earned $90,000 for his Tampa Bay Stakes victory, elevating his earnings to $474,642 for owner/breeder St George Stable and trainer Fausto Gutierrez.
Quatrocento is a 5-year-old son of the Claiborne Farm stallion War Front out of the stakes-winning Tiz Wonderful mare Huasca .