Hollywood Park: Untapable breezes for Hollywood Starlet
ARCADIA, Calif. – Everything before the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies went ideally for Untapable, and everything since has gone well, too, which is why those closest to her are inclined to throw out her poor Breeders’ Cup performance and believe she can bounce back in the Grade 1, $500,000 Hollywood Starlet on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Untapable has had four works since the Breeders’ Cup, all here at Santa Anita, and completed her training for the Starlet on Monday morning with a half-mile work in 49.40 seconds. Of the 164 horses who had works recorded at Santa Anita on Monday, Untapable was the only one whose drill was designated “breezing” by track clockers.
“She’s had a nice series of works since the Breeders’ Cup,” Scott Blasi, the top assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, said back at his barn. “She’s trained really nicely. We just decided to throw the Breeders’ Cup out and go from there.”
Untapable, a daughter of Tapit bred and owned by Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds, won her first two starts at Churchill Downs, including the Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes on Sept. 7. But in the Breeders’ Cup, she was checked sharply on the far turn to avoid an accident and eventually was eased, finishing eighth of 10, beaten 68 1/2 lengths.
The Asmussen barn is hoping for a big weekend at Hollywood Park. On Sunday, Unbridled’s Note, a deceptively good fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, is scheduled to run in the $100,000 Hollywood Turf Express over six furlongs. He worked a half-mile in 49.80 seconds on Monday.
“He should run well. This will be his third race off a layoff,” Blasi said.
Also Monday at Santa Anita, the promising 2-year-old colt Tap It Rich worked a mile by himself in 1:42 under jockey Martin Garcia. Tap It Rich, fifth last out in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is under consideration for the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity on Dec. 14 at Hollywood Park.
Bob Baffert, the trainer of Tap It Rich, sent out the 3-year-old Flashback for a five-furlong drill in 1:00.60. He is being prepped for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Santa Anita’s opening day Dec. 26.
Baffert was taking a brief vacation, including a trip to Augusta National, so the works of Flashback and Tap It Rich were overseen by assistant Jim Barnes.