Southwest next race for Uncontested

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Uncontested emerged from his Monday romp in the $150,000 Smarty Jones in good order, and on Tuesday trainer Wayne Catalano said the horse is being pointed for the second race in Oaklawn’s series for 3-year-olds, the Southwest.

The Southwest, a Grade 3 race worth $500,000, will be run Feb. 20.

Uncontested was in command of the Smarty Jones from the start, setting a quick pace and going on to a5 1/4-length win while earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 96. The mile race, which ended at the sixteenth pole, was run on a sloppy, sealed track and Uncontested covered the distance in hand in a stakes-record 1:36.32. The previous mark of 1:38.05 was achieved by Discreetness on a fast track, in 2016.

Uncontested was making his third career start in the Smarty Jones.

“He came back very well,” Catalano said Tuesday. “Actually, he’s playing around in the stall a little bit, so we’re happy to see that.”

Uncontested won at two turns for the first time on Monday. He will get another distance test in the Southwest, which will be run over 1 1/16 miles to the regular finish line at Oaklawn. Uncontested has raced at the distance once before, when finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs after breaking from post 12.

“That’s always going to be a question mark, how far are they going to go,” Catalano said. “The way he ran yesterday, what he does, he looks like he might get the distance. How far they go, the jury’s out on that one. But we’ll train him accordingly to the distance and we’ll see how he handles it from there.

“He’s got a great mind on him. It’s one of the things we really, really like about him. He’s cool, calm, collected. He’s beautiful.”

Uncontested has reasons to move forward over the course of the spring. He started his career in October, when he won a maiden special weight sprint at Keeneland by six lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 89. He is based with Catalano’s division at Oaklawn.

“The races are going to help him,” Catalano said. “He only had a couple of races under his belt going into yesterday, so he’s still kind of greenish that way and immature in the racing. But he’s putting it together real nice, like you’d like to see one do.”

Uncontested is a son of Tiz Wonderful who races for Bob LaPenta and Harry Rosenblum. His regular rider is Channing Hill, who was aboard Monday.

Petrov made a run at Uncontested into the final turn of the Smarty Jones and finished second. Petrov was making his two-turn debut off a runner-up finish in the King’s Swan on Dec. 2 at Aqueduct. Petrov is based at Oaklawn.

“He’s happy," trainer Ron Moquett said Tuesday. "He ate all of his food. He came out of the race tired, and that’s good, because I’ve never been able to get him tired. So, he will move forward. I don’t know plans yet. Ideally, it will be the Southwest or wait on the Rebel. But I think he’s definitely a route horse.”

The Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel at 1 1/16 miles is March 18 at Oaklawn.

Moquett said the Smarty Jones did not take shape the way he was hoping. Moquett said he expected Warrior's Club or Love That Lute to put pressure on Uncontested. When that didn't happen, Petrov had to move earlier than planned.

"He tried," Moquett said. "This is going to be a horse that gets better every race.”

Rowdy the Warrior closed from next to last for third in the Smarty Jones, finishing nine lengths behind Uncontested. The Southwest is among the spots being considered for Rowdy the Warrior’s next start, trainer Donnie Von Hemel said Tuesday.

“I thought Rowdy ran a pretty good race,” Von Hemel said. “The pace was fast and those horses kept running. I think the winner showed he’s a pretty nice horse. I think the track probably carried him along pretty good, too. But our horse, probably as far as anybody coming from off the pace, made the best move of anybody in the race, although it wasn’t real close to getting there. I think more ground’s certainly going to help us. Very happy with the way he ran.”

Oaklawn’s series builds to the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at 1 1/8 miles April 15.