Unbridled Bomber's last can be excused
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Jim Ryerson believes Unbridled Bomber had an excuse for his well-beaten seventh-place finish in the Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct last month.
Ryerson said Unbridled Bomber had cut his tongue a few days before the race and though Ryerson felt the horse was fine, in hindsight, he thinks the horse may still have been feeling the effects from it on race day.
“He fought his tongue tie and I wasn’t anticipating that, so I don’t know how much that played into it,” said Ryerson, who also noted that, due to the scratch at the gate of Eloquist, horses were unloaded and reloaded into the gate. “That didn’t help him, he got shook up, but I think he was bothered a little by his mouth.”
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On Thursday, Unbridled Bomber looks to rebound when he heads a field of seven entered in a third-level allowance/optional $80,000 claiming race at 1 1/8 miles that serves as the feature on an eight-race Aqueduct program. There is a $27,814 pick six carryover entering Thursday’s card. The pick six begins in race 3 (1:50 p.m. Eastern). The allowance feature goes as race 7.
Unbridled Bomber entered the Queens County off a pair of 4 3/4-length allowance victories, one at 1 1/8 miles, the other at 1 3/16 miles. That made him the second choice in the Queens County, a race won in runaway fashion by favored Law Professor.
Ryerson said since the Queens County, Unbridled Bomber has “trained good. I tied his tongue for the workout the other day and I was happy with it.”
On Saturday, Unbridled Bomber worked a half-mile in 48.43 seconds, the seventh fastest of 131 moves at the distance over the training track.
Unbridled Bomber breaks from the rail under Manny Franco.
Dylan Davis, who rode Unbridled Bomber in the Queens County, will ride No Burn, who he rode to a front-running victory in a second-level allowance here Jan. 20 in the mud. No Burn and Empty Tomb could potentially set a lively pace that would aid Unbridled Bomber.
Linda Rice, whose three-win Sunday improved her meet-best win total to 14, sends out Kinetic Sky in this spot. Claimed for $35,000 by Rice in September, Kinetic Sky has a win and two seconds in three starts for Rice.
“I thought he’d be the perfect winter horse,” Rice said. “Pretty consistent, effective.”
Lynn Cash entered Southern District and Treasure Trove, who run as a coupled entry. Southern District, whom Cash claimed for $100,000 off Chad Brown in November, had a third and a second in a pair of allowances at Laurel. Treasure Trove, a winner of 10 of 48 career starts, just won an allowance by 8 1/2 lengths on Jan. 15 at Laurel . Both of Cash’s runners are in for the optional $80,000 tag.
Empty Tomb is part of an uncoupled entry sent out by Robert Falcone Jr. In winning an allowance at Delaware off an 8 1/2-month layoff in October, Empty Tomb did sit second early in the race. Falcone believes he erred wheeling him back in the Grade 2 Kelso three weeks later where he finished fourth. Empty Tomb ran poorly in a stakes at Parx Racing, a track at which he had previously run bad.
Falcone also entered War Stopper, who he thinks might be better at a one-turn mile.
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