Forever Unbridled adds to star power on Stephen Foster card

Bolstering a prime time card that already included prime time names like Gun Runner and McCraken, a pleasant surprise passed through the Churchill Downs entry box today for the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap. Away since an excellent third in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Forever Unbridled is now set to make her 2017 debut on Saturday evening as the mare to beat in the nine-furlong, $200,000 affair.

Owned by Charles Fipke and trained by Dallas Stewart, Forever Unbridled enjoyed a breakout season last year. Bred to the hilt, and showing plenty of promise before 2016, the daughter of Unbridled’s Song and Lemons Forever put it all together in her four-year-old season, when she earned $1.28 million thanks to a record of three wins, one second, and two thirds from six starts.

The good vibrations actually began for the bay mare when she finished up her three-year-old season with a hard-fought victory in the Grade 3 Comely Stakes in New York. She was able to build on that momentum early last year with victories in the rich Houston Ladies Classic, and the Grade 1 Apple Blossom.

A powerful Grade 1 winner after that effort at Oaklawn Park, Forever Unbridled saw her three-race winning streak snapped when she finished second at the hands of a New York buzzsaw in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps. Racing luck did her no favors that afternoon at Belmont Park, but as good as Cavorting was, second may have been as good as it was going to get.

After a three-quarter length loss in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga, she bounced back with a comprehensive victory in Belmont Park’s prestigious Beldame. Her second Grade 1 victory of the season, and her career, sent her off to California to face an absolutely star-studded field in the Distaff.

Despite her excellent string of performances, and demonstrating how strong the field was, Forever Unbridled was sent off at 15-1 at Santa Anita. She responded by running the best race yet in her 14-race career against the likes of Beholder, Songbird, and Stellar Wind. Her rally was strong and true, but ultimately fell a little short against a pair of future Hall of Famers. Lost in the hoopla of the top two was an outstanding performance by the late-running filly under Joel Rosario.

Working like clockwork at Churchill Downs the past five weeks, she was originally planned to return in the seven-furlong Chicago Handicap one week later, but perhaps to the misfortune of her competition on Saturday, Stewart decided to pull the trigger with his star mare one week early.

The Fleur de Lis is no field of shrinking violets, though. Among the competition for the four-time graded stakes winner will be the streaking Grade 1 winner, Big World, last year’s Grade 1 Ashland winner, Weep No More, graded stakes winners, Carrumba and Walkabout, the La Troienne runner-up, Romantic Vision, and the red-hot Apologynotaccepted. Crooked Stick and Tiger Moth round out the nine-horse field.

It’s been 7 ½ months, but if Forever Unbridled can pick up where she left off last November, we will welcome back one of the best mares in the nation to the Churchill Downs winner’s circle come Saturday evening.