Untrapped will target Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn

Untrapped, the Risen Star runner-up, is headed to Oaklawn Park for the Rebel Stakes on March 18, but the third- and fourth-place Risen Star finishers, Local Hero and Guest Suite, are likely runners in the Louisiana Derby, trainers Steve Asmussen and Neil Howard said Sunday.

Mo Town, who was fifth as the favorite in the Risen Star, flies back to trainer Tony Dutrow's base at Payson Park on Tuesday.

Untrapped, who also finished second in the Lecomte on Jan. 21, got a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure finishing second by two lengths to Girvin in the Risen Star. By Trappe Shot, Untrapped raced twice in one-turn races last year and made his two-turn debut in the Lecomte. Asmussen said just after the Risen Star that Untrapped's connections were pleased to see Untrapped appeared to solidly stay two turns. The Rebel, like the Risen Star, is contested at 1 1/16 miles.

Untrapped originally had been scheduled to make his 2017 debut in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn but was rerouted to the Lecomte when a quarantine of the Fair Grounds backstretch made it impossible for him to be shipped to Oaklawn.

Local Hero finished third in the Risen Star after going hard for the early lead and setting a fast pace. Making his first start against other winners, Local Hero was too headstrong during the early and middle portion of the race, and his connections believe he can run better.

“I think that Local Hero deserves another chance,” Asmussen said. “It can go smoother for him.”

Guest Suite, the Lecomte winner in his 3-year-old debut, came back from his closing fourth-place finish in the Risen Star in good shape, trainer Neil Howard said, and is a likely Louisiana Derby runner.

“He might have been a little far back,” Howard said. “He closed pretty well. Of course you want to win it, but I think we still feel just as good as we did before the race.”