Delta: Roman Unbridled romps in Big Drama

Roman Unbridled finished fourth Nov. 23 in the $1 million Delta Jackpot, but he might have won that race had he run like he did Saturday night at Delta, where he captured the $75,000 Big Drama Stakes by 8 1/2 lengths.

Shooting straight to the lead from post 1 under Kevin Smith, Roman Unbridled set solid splits of 23.38 seconds, 47.65, and 1:12.80 before completing the two-turn, seven-furlong race in a strong 1:25.67. His pursuers, Mypalcharliebrown and 6-5 favorite Dunkin Bend, got within about two lengths of Roman Unbridled as the horses leaned into the far turn, but Roman Unbridled quickly spurted away and came through the eighth-mile Delta stretch full of energy, galloping out impressively around the clubhouse turn. The third choice, he paid $9.20 to win, with Dunkin Bend up by 1 3/4lengths for second over Mypalcharliebrown.

Roman Unbridled, a Roman Ruler colt trained by Chad Cook for Michelle Brown, won for the second time in seven starts, and has improved markedly since coming to Delta this past fall after making three sprint starts at Ellis Park.