Uncontested likely for Count Fleet Sprint or Commonwealth

There was no big celebration following trainer Jennifer Patterson’s first career stakes win with Uncontested in the Grade 3 General George Stakes last Saturday at Laurel Park, just a nice dinner with her parents.

“We were all exhausted, so it was an early evening,” Patterson said.

Uncontested came out of his one-length victory in good shape, according to Patterson, and by Monday morning was back home at the Thoroughbred Training Center outside Lexington, Ky.

Like the Pattersons, Uncontested was tired following the General George. He had every right to be after ripping off a brilliant six furlongs in 1:08.61 and then digging deep through the final furlong of the seven-eighths race in 12.45 seconds to stop the timer in 1:21.06, 0.11 of a second off the track record set in the 2010 General George.

“He came out of it really good,” Patterson said. “When I got back to the barn, he was standing on the horse path with his leg cocked, his ears up, looking towards the track. He was pretty proud of himself.

“He was tired, of course, but he really didn’t show it until we got him home. He had that whole extra furlong to go. It was not easy.”

Uncontested, a lightly raced 5-year-old son of Tiz Wonderful, is owned by Harry Rosenblum and Robert LaPenta. He is 2 for 2 since being turned over to Patterson, a former Shug McGaughey assistant who began training last year.

In his first start following a nine-month layoff, Uncontested sped six furlongs in 1:08.04 to win a high-level optional-claiming race at Laurel by five lengths. He earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure in that race and a 99 in the General George.

“The track was deeper Saturday,” Patterson said.

This is a good time of year to have a stakes sprinter. There are rich races coming up at Aqueduct, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, and Oaklawn Park.

The two most likely spots for Uncontested, according to Patterson, are the Grade 3, $400,000 Count Fleet, a six-furlong race on April 13 at Oaklawn, or the Grade 3, $250,000 Commonwealth going seven furlongs a week earlier at Keeneland.

“It depends on a lot of things, but I like the six furlongs of the Count Fleet, and the purse is bigger,” Patterson said. “But if we run at Keeneland, we won’t have to ship.

“The timing of both races is good. We won’t have to rush him.”