Unbridled Command Might Enter Jamaica 'Cap

Trainer Tom Bush said Friday that Grade 3 Saranac winner Unbridled Command is under consideration for the Grade 1 Jamaica Handicap on October 8 at Belmont Park and that a decision will be made after a work this weekend.

“I want to work him first, and I’ve got to figure out when that’s going to happen,” Bush said. “The latest has got to be Monday because this race is Saturday. Then we can take a breath and figure out whether it’s the right race for the horse.”

With Grade 1 Pacific Classic winner Dullahan and Grade 3 winner Summer Front likely both pointing for the Jamaica, Bush is well aware of the level of competition.

“Dullahan, he’s an unbelievable horse,” said Bush. “He hasn’t won on the turf, but he’s run fast numbers on it even when he didn’t win, so he’ll be tough. Summer Front and Unbridled Command are very close on the numbers, but Summer Front has run against a lot better horses than Unbridled Command has ever run against, and that probably means more than the numbers. I would love to just walk him across the street and run, but I’m not sure it’s the right race for the horse.”

Whether or not the Lakland Farm representative runs in the Jamaica, Bush is very pleased with Unbridled Command’s recent development.

“He’s matured a lot,” Bush said. “You can tell. He’s a horse with some confidence and he’s going the right way, and he’s coming out of his races healthy. All those things are real positives. He showed up [in the Saranac]. We needed to improve to run good in there, and fortunately we improved. Whether we can improve more than that, I don’t know.”

Bush added that multiple New York-bred stakes winner Beautiful But Blue, who finished third in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga Race Course and most recently was third in the Charles Town Oaks, could make her next start in the $125,000, seven-furlong Iroquois on New York Showcase Day, October 20.

“I think that’s probably what we’ll do,” Bush said. “[Owner] Chester [Broman] wants to do that. Seven-eighths helps us, and she likes the big turns. If Agave Kiss shows up there and runs her ‘A’ race, she’ll be tough, and Risky Rachel is tough, too.