BY BROCK SHERIDAN<\/p>\n
Patricia\u2019s Hope\u2019s Uncashed<\/a> pushed his career win rate above the .500 mark Wednesday with a popular half-length victory in an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming<\/a> at Tampa Bay Downs. The 6-year-old Florida-bred gelding went wire-to-wire against five other 4-year-olds and older to improve his career record to 13 wins in 25 starts with four seconds and two thirds.<\/p>\n Trained by Larry Rivelli<\/a> and ridden by Pablo Morales<\/a>, Uncashed started best of all from post five and lead fellow Florida-bred Naughty Rascal<\/a> by a length through quarter-mile splits of :22.20 and :45.12 in the six-furlong contest. He extended his lead to two lengths in the stretch\u00a0before Naughty Rascal and Beeline came at him again in the final strides.<\/p>\n Uncashed finished in 1:10.03 on the fast track with Naughty Rascal holding onto second by a head in front of Beeline in third. Dreaming of Kona, Abeliefinthislivin and Florida-bred Rouki<\/a> completed the order of finish.<\/p>\n Uncashed paid $2.10 as the even money favorite.<\/p>\n The win was his fourth in his last five starts going back to a two-length victory in a $20,000 starter allowance<\/a> at Churchill Downs on Sept. 18. He won a $30,000 optional claiming starter allowance<\/a> at Hawthorne on Oct. 26 but broke his streak when third in an upper level, $100,000 optional claiming won by Florida-bred El Principito<\/a> at Tampa Bay Downs on Nov. 28. In one other start prior to Wednesday, he won a $25,000 starter allowance<\/a> at Tampa Bay on Dec. 19.<\/p>\n As a 3-year-old in 2023, Uncashed won the $50,000 Golden Circle<\/a> at Prairie Meadows and the $175,000 Quick Call<\/a> on a sloppy track at Saratoga Race Course. His last stakes appearance came when second in the $97,000 Robert S. Molaro Memorial at Hawthorne in July of last year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Uncashed is by Uncaptured out of Charlie B, by War Chant and was bred in Florida by Nicksar Farms. The $36,200 first place check increased his career earnings to $464,344.<\/p>\n