What we learned: Epicenter is intriguing after Gun Runner win

With the Kentucky Derby and Oaks trails in full swing after the juvenile season, now is a great time to focus on prep races leading up to May. On Sunday, Fair Grounds hosted the Untapable Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on the Oaks trail and the Gun Runner Stakes for aspiring Derby candidates.

Here are some thoughts on the Untapable first.

The heavy 3-5 favorite Cocktail Moments had to stretch out slightly in this race from seven furlongs to one mile and 70 yards while facing two turns. The bottom side of her pedigree did not look favorable for routes, although she blew out the field in her maiden race at Churchill Downs by 9 1/4 lengths.

Cocktail Moments failed to satisfy chalk players with a third-place finish. But she might deserve another chance because of the troubled trip.

In the early part of the race, Cocktail Moments spent most of the backside taking dirt while running behind North County. Then she became boxed in behind California Angel and North Country, with Feeling Happy trapping her path to the right side at the start of the second turn.

Nevertheless, Cocktail Moments did make a move late for third.  

North County took advantage of a clear trip and took aim at the leader Fannie and Freddie in the stretch. Under urging, North County successfully got up in time to win a stakes race in only her third career start.

With only a winning 78 Beyer Figure, these fillies need to improve in the next few months to become legitimate Kentucky Oaks contenders.

Cocktail Moments owns the most raw talent of the Untapable group. If she can get a better trip in future races leading up to the Oaks, she might show off the same ability that led to a nine-length maiden win. Then again, picking a closer in a dirt race always feels like a liability because of traffic concerns. Can she show a bit more tactical speed? 

Right now, there is nothing to get too excited about with the Untapable results, but Cocktail Moments has a chance to develop into a nice one.

Now to discuss the Gun Runner.

Surfer Dude broke well and went to the lead. Epicenter let Surfer Dude cross over on the first turn to secure the front as he switched outside.

Those two speed runners were traveling well early. In contrast, the 4-5 Rocket Dawg did not enjoy the slower pace of a two-turn route and threw his head up around the first turn as Florent Geroux restrained him.

While Surfer Dude and Epicenter continued to tangle on the lead on the backside, Rocket Dawg eventually found himself in an outside stalking position. He also did not stop tugging against Geroux’s restraint either. When a horse spends the first half of the race fighting the jockey’s hold, he wastes energy.

Surfer Dude and Epicenter began to separate from a tired Rocket Dawg on the second turn. As Rocket Dawg faded out, Tejano Twist came into the picture with a nice move forward. 

Under mild urging from Brian Hernandez Jr., Epicenter put Surfer Dude away in the stretch run and opened up. Tejano Twist failed to sustain his bid in the stretch and started to lose ground as Epicenter put the finishing touches on his victory.

Epicenter won by 6 1/2 lengths with an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. Tejano Twist ran second and Surfer Dude held third by only a head. Rocket Dawg quit in the stretch and ended up 23 3/4 lengths behind Epicenter in sixth.

If Epicenter continues to improve, he can make noise on the Derby trail in the next few months. This is a talented runner with good speed, which is a huge plus in the modern, speed-favoring Kentucky Derby.

Even though Tejano Twist made a closing move for second and beat five other horses, he still gives the impression of a sprinter because he did not finish off the race by challenging Epicenter. In fact, he lost ground in the late stages. If the connections do not cut him back sooner, wait until Derby season ends for him to sprint again and cash in on the cutback.

Surfer Dude owns a great pedigree for routing as a son of Curlin and graded-stakes route winner Tiz Miz Sue, but longer distances still seem to tire him out. At the moment, his stamina does not look right for the Derby trail. But it is possible this nicely bred colt can get stronger.

Rocket Dawg did not make a good impression. At least believers will get better odds in his next attempt on the trail. He needs to prove himself as a router too. 

Epicenter is the only one out of the Gun Runner to get mildly excited about at the moment, especially with the experienced trainer Steve Asmussen behind him along with Winchell Thorougbreds. But the trail gets deeper and more difficult soon.