Untapable Romps in the Mother Goose

Untapable continued her unbeaten 2014 by easily winning the $300,000 Mother Goose (G1) at Belmont Park. Earlier this year the Steve Asmussen-trained three year-old filly won the Rachel Alexandra (G3) and the Oaks (G2) at the Fair Grounds in Louisiana, and then the Kentucky Oaks (G1) during Derby weekend at Churchill Downs.

The early scratch of morning line second choice Stopchargingmaria left a field of just five horses in the Mother Goose. None of the other four fillies had a stakes win to their credit, although House Rules and America were both graded stakes placed.

Untapable’s dominant victory answered any questions that handicappers had about the almost two month layoff going back to the Kentucky Oaks or about the somewhat slow workouts she had turned in while training at Churchill Downs. In today’s post parade Untapable looked dry, composed, and full of energy.

Jockey John Velazquez was up on Untapable for the first time replacing regular rider Rosie Napravnik who was nursing a shoulder injury from a morning workout spill at Churchill Downs. The race began with a scare, as Velazquez had to hard check Untapable not far from the gate when the early leader Princess Violet suddenly angled over into her path.

Untapable seemed unfazed by the incident and settled down very nicely. After the first quarter went in :23.30, she sat in third place in the three path going down the back stretch. After the half-mile in :45.95 she began to move up, easily taking over second and moving to the shoulder of Princess Violet. After three quarters in 1:09.65 and a mile in 1:34.57 Untapable cruised to her easy win. Track announcer Tom Durkin described her as, “Poetry in four-legged motion.”  The final time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:41.2.

 

Asmussen was very happy after the race, "I'm very pleased with her race today. I loved how quiet she was pre-race and in the paddock. She turned off right after a little trouble at the start and was pretty relaxed. She picked it up when she needed to and appeared to be looking around quite a bit in the stretch, but it was her first time [at Belmont]. All of her previous victories had been where she was training, so I think that this was a pretty good step. I think she's a very special filly." 

With every performance Untapable looks more and more impressive and we now get to wonder what is next for the stellar daughter of Tapit? Will owner Ron Winchell make a run at the Horse of the Year title? If so Untapable would most likely need a win against the boys. Inside sources at Monmouth Park have stated that they would make a very serious play to get her to run in the $1,000,000 Haskell on Sunday, July 27^th.

The Haskell scenario would be a familiar one for Asmussen. Of course in 2009 he beat the boys at the Jersey Shore with Rachel Alexandra as she went on to be named Horse of the Year that season.

 

About what's next for Untapable, Asmussen said, "There's definitely the thought of running her against the boys. She'll ship up to Saratoga to train on Monday. [The Coaching Club American Oaks] is a very lucrative race that is there, but I don't want to speak for Ron at this point. We're aware that [the Haskell] is there and the timing is excellent. It's nice to have a horse like her because you can consider races as good as these."