Before Gaspergou broke his maiden at Delta Downs yesterday, the 4-year-old First Dude gelding had finished second three times and fourth once in his past four starts and, accordingly, was sent off at odds of 3/5.

Gaspergou was off quickly from the No. 8 post with Alex Birzer in the one-mile race, and battled up front down the length of the backstretch. He took the lead on the turn but was soon joined by second choice My Call, and as they went head-to-head down the lane, My Call stuck his neck in front and appeared to be headed for the big upset. But Gaspergou dug in gamely on the inside and edged the 3-1 shot by a head at the wire.

The gelding bred by Bill Rasco is First Dude’s 17th winner of 2021; he paid $3.40 and earned a check for $6,000, raising his sire’s total to $375,720.