Untapable, Stopcharingmaria get rematch in Personal Ensign
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When trainer Steve Asmussen decided to run Untapable in the Shuvee Handicap here earlier this month, it was as much about the past as the future.
In the past, Untapable had a penchant for firing her best race the second time off a freshening. With that in mind, Asmussen hopes Untapable got what she needed by running second to Stopchargingmaria in the Shuvee to set her up for a rematch with that filly Saturday in the Grade 1, $750,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga.
The 1 1/8-mile Personal Ensign goes as race 6 and kicks off an all-Grade 1 stakes pick six with a guaranteed pool of $250,000. The Personal Ensign also is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Oct. 30.
Untapable won the BC Distaff last year and the Grade 1 Apple Blossom this year in her second start off a layoff. She ran second to Wedding Toast off a two-month layoff in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont and had a similar layoff entering the Shuvee.
“I thought she was away from the gate better than she has been all year,” Asmussen said. “We want to continue to do that going forward, with a little better finish.”
Untapable will break from post 6 under John Velazquez.
Stopchargingmaria, trained by Todd Pletcher, is 4 for 5 at Saratoga, including three graded stakes triumphs. Though she won the Grade 1 Alabama last year 27 days after she won the Coaching Club American Oaks, her Beyer Speed Figure dropped 12 points.
Pletcher also sends out Got Lucky, who appears to be in career form off a pair of wins in the Molly Pitcher and Lady’s Secret stakes at Monmouth Park.
Sheer Drama, the winner of the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap, Tiz Windy, and American complete the field.
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Key contenders
Untapable (Last 3 Beyers: 93-93-98)
* The beaten favorite in the Phipps and Shuvee, she has impressed her trainer with her training since getting beaten a length in the Shuvee while spotting the winner three pounds. She carries level weights with Stopchargingmaria on Saturday.
“I feel really good how we trained since the Shuvee,” Asmussen said. “Untapable has put in some excellent works, and we feel very good about where she’s at right now. She’s a very good mare. She’ll make a very good showing. Saying that, we have no control over how anybody else will run.”
Stopchargingmaria (Last 3 Beyers: 95-94-92)
* Equaled a career-best Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Shuvee and now must come back on relatively short rest.
“She’s touting us in the morning that she’s maintaining form,” Pletcher said.
Sheer Drama (Last 3 Beyers: 96-94-93)
* Has a win and a second over Saratoga’s main track and could fall into a nice stalking trip under Joe Bravo behind the two choices.
“I think her running style suits this racetrack,” trainer David Fawkes said. “It’s a long stretch. She’s kind of a grinder. There’s some pace in the race, but not a lot.”