Untapable, Tapiture tune up for Breeders' Cup
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Steve Asmussen has sent six horses to California, all for the Breeders’ Cup, and on Sunday morning at Santa Anita, he worked the best of them, Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable -- who is preparing for the Distaff -- as well as Tapiture, who will go in either the Dirt Mile or the Classic.
Both worked five furlongs, both went solo, and both had exercise rider Carlos Rosas aboard.
Untapable went first, and was timed by Asmussen in 1:00.20. She is preparing to take on older fillies like Beholder, the defending Distaff champion, and Close Hatches in the Distaff on Oct. 31, though she has all but clinched the champion 3-year-old filly title regardless of the outcome.
“She’s just a gorgeous mover,” Asmussen said of Untapable, who won the Cotillion at Parx in her last start. “She’s a tremendous athlete. I thought she was taken out of her comfort zone in the Cotillion. The way she had to keep her position, the way the track was playing, she showed a level of maturity that we thought she was lacking last fall as a 2-year-old and even very early this spring. It’s a tall order, taking on Beholder and Close Hatches.”
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A little later in the morning, Tapiture went five furlongs officially in 59.20 seconds. He was second last time out to Bayern in the Pennsylvania Derby, run the same day as the Cotillion.
“He’s had some tough trips,” Asmussen said of Tapiture, who this year has raced at Parx, Mountaineer, Churchill Downs, and Oaklawn Park. “Both those horses have put in some miles. So to make it here, and be feeling good, we’re feeling lucky and blessed.
“The weather’s broken here, so it’s cool each morning, great for training.”
Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup are due Oct. 20, and will be officially announced Oct. 22. Asmussen said the plan with Tapiture as of now is to pre-enter both the Dirt Mile and Classic, then decide later as to which race is the best option. Both are run on Nov. 1, but a decision on which race to run in must be made before final entry day, Oct. 27.
Asmussen’s other BC runners are Regally Ready and Unbridled’s Note, both pointing to the BC Turf Sprint; Mico Margarita, heading to the BC Sprint, and Lucky Player, scheduled to run in the Juvenile. Those four horses were all scheduled to work on Monday at Santa Anita.