Untapable (KYO)- $100.000 Purse
FG- For Fillies Two Years Old
One Mile and Seventy Yards on the Dirt
December 21, 2024

The starting gate will be full on Saturday as twelve fillies hope to grab some valuable KYO points in the fourth running of the Untapable. The purse of $100.000 is nice as well, and a short-term gain for a potential longer-term goal. We saw in the Gun Runner how all three previous winners of the race eventually went on to compete in the KYD. The Untapable has seen two of its prior winners make the KYO: Curlina and Niagra Keys. However, last year’s winner, Chai Lies, from Keith Austin Inc, was not as fortunate. It’s been her last career win, and she has been idle, though still active, since May. Let’s take a look at those in this year’s race:

1- Tactical Spin (Alydar Stables, ridden by D Van Dyke)- A winner of two out of six races, and she has hit the board in five of them. Last time out, she won an allowance at CD for her second career victory. Overall, she has gone back and forth between the dirt and the turf and was seen in the Grade 1 Natalma at WO in September. Won’t be my pick, but you can never disregard a horse that knows how to be close at the finish.

2- Hot Cheddar (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R L Moore)- Still just beginning to get her career moving, running for smaller purses in her first two career starts. She handled them well and then got a little time off before her next race. When she returned, the blinkers were gone and she was given Lasix, for the $75.000 Casey Memorial Stakes at CT for WV-Breds. The blinkers are scheduled to be back as she faces her toughest test yet.

3- Expert Timing (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- Another lightly raced horse for now, as this will be only her third start. Last time out, she broke her maiden in impressive fashion, winning by three lengths at FL, going wire to wire. That race was at today’s distance, and now we’ll see what she can do against stronger foes.

4- Victoria Era (Crocker Ggs, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Won one of her first four races, and struggled quite a bit in a race at SAR in July. The trainer went back to the drawing board a bit after that, and she would be given Bute and wearing blinkers for her next start, the $125.000 Glorious Song at WO, where she bounced back nicely to finish third. Gets a little more distance, which she should like.

5- Love Beer (High Voltage, ridden by J Lezcano)- Makes her debut with High Voltage after the trainer picked her up in private sales for $50.000. Prior to that, she had raced very modestly with one win in three starts but had a strong work at DED in late November that suggested she could be doing a lot more. That’s where High Voltage came in, and the filly will go long for the first time.

6- Sune Lee (Aer Stables, ridden by M Franco)- After breaking her maiden at SAR in June, Sune Lee was entered into the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes which was probably a little too much for her at that point. Headed to FL after that and was third against NY-Breds in the Lady Finger Stakes and has not raced since. She’s also set to go long for the first time and may have been waiting for this opportunity based on works.

7- Miss Alligator (Jerry Garcia Racing, ridden by G Corrales)- Debuted last month at BTP, and easily dismissed that opposition with a four length, wire to wire victory. Jerry Garcia was clearly thrilled with what he saw from her, that he opted to enter her here in the Untapable. There’s really no reason to think that she could not get a win here, but she is certainly not in an $8.000 maiden race now.

8- Toasting (Mb Stables, ridden by Mar Garcia)- In August, she broke her maiden at ELP in her second career start, leading her to be entered in a couple of graded races. However, neither the DMR Debutante or the Chandelier went well for her, and when you are in this barn, you can find yourself getting behind many stablemates for the KYO if those kind of results continue. After a couple months to think about the Chandelier, she can get redemption here.

9- Elecktra (Alydar Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After being entered into three high priced maiden races, Elecktra saw the winner’s circle at SAR in July. She would remain at the Spa but given the tough assignment of running in the Grade 1 Spinaway, where she was outclassed. Looked better as the runner up at CD in an allowance last month, and will return to the stake level now, albeit not against a Grade 1 crowd.

10- Jessies Blues (South Shore Stables, ridden by Ar Bocachica)- We’re likely still waiting to see what she is made of, with solid results against sprinters on the dirt, winning one of them. The trainer then looked to move her to grass last month, for an optional claimer at DMR, and she was not a factor there. Now, she will stretch it for the first time, but unfortunately, we do not have any public works on her greater than six furlongs to try and measure her up.

11- Rare Vintage (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Purchased in September auction for just $4.010, but she is not a rags to riches story yet. After that sale, she was sent to BTP where she went wire to wire to break her maiden against three others, two of which were making their debut. She comes here off of that, but like Jessies Blues, we have no public mile works to look at. Surely things are appealing privately, but I can’t pick her based on what is visible to me.

12- Fire Storm (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- An experienced runner, with six races under her belt. One of them was a win, coming at AQU in September, and since then she has been running in NY-bred stakes. Though she struggled at a mile in the Maid In The Mist, she bounced back nicely for the Key Cents at six furlongs and ran second. So far, she’s been a little hit and miss in her career.

Prediction: 2-9-8-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded