Velazquez will ride Untapable in Azeri

Untapable and Tapiture will begin their 4-year-old seasons with new riders Saturday at Oaklawn Park. The now-retired Rosie Napravnik was the regular rider of both horses last year.

Napravnik was aboard Untapable for 9 of her 11 career starts. Napravnik announced her retirement in the Santa Anita winner’s circle on Oct. 31 after guiding Untapable to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Trainer Steve Asmussen has given the mount on Untapable to John Velazquez, who rode Untapable once before. Velazquez won the Grade 1 Mother Goose on Untapable last June at Belmont Park while Napravnik was recovering from a shoulder injury.

Untapable was voted champion 3-year-old filly of 2014 after a near-perfect season in which she won 6 of 7 starts, including four Grade 1 stakes. Her only loss came against males in the Haskell Invitational.

Napravnik rode Tapiture in his final four starts of 2014. Ricardo Santana Jr. will be aboard Saturday, Asmussen said. Santana leads the Oaklawn Park jockey standings by 24 wins.

Tapiture finished his 3-year-old season strongly. He won the Grade 3 Matt Winn and Grade 2 West Virginia Derby before finishing second to Bayern in the Pennsylvania Derby and second to Goldencents in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Untapable and Tapiture left Fair Grounds by van for Oaklawn Park on Monday morning, Asmussen said.

Untapable is scheduled to start in the Grade 2, $300,000 Azeri on Saturday, while Tapiture is targeting the Grade 3, $250,000 Razorback Handicap. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.

Untapable and Tapiture had their final pre-race workouts at Fair Grounds on Sunday. Untapable was timed in 1:01 for five furlongs. Tapiture covered the distance in 1:00.80.

“I am very pleased with how they worked and how they came out of it,” Asmussen said.