Untapable looks to cap breakout season
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ARCADIA, Calif. – The $2 million Distaff is not the first Breeders’ Cup drama for Untapable or Close Hatches.
They were supporting players in 2013 – Untapable eighth in the Juvenile Fillies, Close Hatches second in the Distaff.
One year later, Untapable and Close Hatches return to Santa Anita in starring roles. They are favorites in the 1 1/8-mile Distaff, race 9 of 10 and the final leg of the pick six.
Untapable will put the finishing touch on an outstanding season that includes the Kentucky Oaks among three Grade 1 wins. She has trained super over the past month at Santa Anita and enters vastly improved from her juvenile season.
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“She has matured so nicely,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “Her coat looks nice, her weight looks good, and she’s traveling well. She’s got a content level that she didn’t use to show, ever.”
Close Hatches seeks to regain her form. She began 2014 by winning four stakes, including three Grade 1 races. But she ran fourth last month at Keeneland at 1-5. Trainer Bill Mott acknowledged the uncertainty of her form.
“Look, when they run like she did last time, it’s always a question mark,” Mott said. “I don’t think it’s ever like, ‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’ I’m concerned. I can’t tell you there’s any physical reason for why she ran that way.”
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The field includes Don’t Tell Sophia, Ria Antonia, and Unbridled Forever from Kentucky; Iotapa and Tiz Midnight in California; and Belle Gallantey from New York. Outsiders are L’Amour de Ma Vie from France, Stanwyck returning from New York, and Peruvian import Valiant Emilia.
KEY CONTENDERS
Untapable (Last 3 Beyers: 94-96-96)
◗ Sired by Tapit and owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Untapable always possessed innate ability. It was Asmussen’s job to bring it out.
“She was just different,” he said. “We had a few that were quicker, but mentally, physically ... you knew it would all just get better.”
◗ Untapable wintered at Fair Grounds and won the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra by more than nine lengths there in her first start of 2014.
◗ She followed by winning the Fair Grounds Oaks and Kentucky Oaks, took the Mother Goose at Belmont Park by more than nine, finished fifth in the Haskell Invitational against males, and returned to form by winning the Cotillion at Parx.
◗ She shipped to Santa Anita in September.
“Love how the preparations went,” Asmussen said. “Our concerns right now are ... the way the racetrack is playing.”
◗ Santa Anita tends to favor speed.
◗ Rosie Napravnik rides Untapable, a 7-for-10 closer expected to race next year at age 4.
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Close Hatches (Last 3 Beyers: 82-99-103)
◗ Close Hatches was on a roll until her recent fourth-place misfire. It was her first loss of the year and dropped her from solid Distaff favorite to shaky second choice.
◗ Mott could not find an excuse for her recent loss, saying: “I thought she was doing good going into that race. She just didn’t show up. Whether that’s better or worse than finding something that was off ... I think she was doing fine then, she’s doing fine now. Maybe she’s a little better now.”
◗ Close Hatches has a front-running style that suits Santa Anita.
◗ Joel Rosario rides.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Close Hatches. Trainer Bill Mott is 19-5-4-3 with a $4.14 ROI over the past five years in dirt route graded stakes with horses making their third start after a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Ria Antonia (Last 3 Beyers: 90-81-73)
◗ The upset winner of the Juvenile Fillies last year via disqualification, Ria Antonia is peaking for trainer Tom Amoss.
◗ She added blinkers last time, finishing second in the Spinster.
“Obviously, the change of equipment was a plus,” Amoss said. “She was able to lay closer and sit against the bridle a little better.”
◗ Ria Antonia is entered in the Fasig-Tipton November sale.
Don’t Tell Sophia (Last 3 Beyers: 94-91-93)
◗ It took 22 starts, but the 6-year-old Don’t Tell Sophia recently knocked out her first Grade 1, upsetting the Spinster from off the pace.
“She’s got the monster run to her,” trainer Phil Sims said. “She hasn’t raced a whole lot. She’s just kind of coming into her own.”
◗ Sims, a part-owner, expects Don’t Tell Sophia to stay in training next year at age 7.
Iotapa (Last 3 Beyers: 92-93-109)
◗ A slow start cost her last time in the Grade 1 Zenyatta; she finished third.
◗ The best race of her career was a blowout at Santa Anita in June.
◗ Iotapa has won two Grade 1 races.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Iotapa. Trainer John Sadler is 9-5-0-1 with a $4.26 ROI over the past five years in dirt route graded stakes at Santa Anita with horses making their second start after a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Belle Gallantey (Last 3 Beyers: 103-58-99)
◗ A former $20,000 claimer in California, Belle Gallantey won two Grade 1 races in New York this year for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.
◗ She returns to California off a romp in the Beldame.
Tiz Midnight (Last 3 Beyers: 98-95-85)
◗ An improving filly who sometimes washes out, she finished second in the Zenyatta last out with a front-running trip. She adds speed.
– additional reporting by Dave Grening
DRF FORMULATOR FACT:No. 5 Unbridled Forever. Trainer Dallas Stewart is 46-1-6-6 with a $0.37 ROI over the past five years in Grade 1 routes on dirt. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan