Untapable faces five in Azeri; Tapiture takes on six in Razorback

Untapable was an easy winner of the BC Distaff last year… (Breeders’ Cup Ltd.)

The Steve Asmussen-trained duo of Untapable (Tapit) and Tapiture (Tapit)
haven’t competed since taking part in last year’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita
Park. That changes on Saturday as the Winchell Thoroughbred homebreds
make their four-year-old bows in a pair of stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Five fillies were brave enough to take on champion Untapable when entries
were drawn for the $300,000
Azeri S. (G2), while six
are entered to oppose Tapiture in the $250,000
Razorback H. (G3).

The distaffers will go 1 1/16 miles as they attempt to
dethrone reigning Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) heroine Untapable. The bay miss is
no stranger to loss, finishing fifth against the boys last July in the Haskell
Invitational S. (G1), third in the 2013 Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) and a
well-beaten eighth in that same year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

In between Untapable has romped in such Grade 1 events as the Kentucky Oaks,
Mother Goose S. and Cotillion S. as well as the aforementioned Distaff. She’s
also garnered triple-digit BRIS Speed ratings on a regular basis. The filly will
be getting a jockey switch to John Velazquez, as regular rider Rosie Napravnik
announced her pregnancy and retirement in the Distaff winner’s circle, and the
new partners break from the rail in the Azeri.

…while Tapiture just failed to catch Goldencents in the BC Mile (Breeders’ Cup Ltd.)

Grade 3 victress Sugar Shock (Candy Ride) closed out her sophomore season
last June but returned a winner on January 24 in the American Beauty S. The Doug
Anderson pupil completes the Azeri field.

One race later Tapiture lines up off a pair of seconds in the Breeders’ Cup
Dirt Mile (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G2) last fall. The chestnut colt romped
in the Southwest S. (G3) at Oaklawn in February 2014 before just missing by a
half-length in the Rebel S. (G2) over the track. He would go on to capture the
Matt Winn S. (G3) and West Virginia Derby (G2), and also gets a rider change
from Napravnik to Ricardo Santana Jr.

Both Carve (First Samurai) and Ride On Curlin (Curlin) are hoping to continue
their Oaklawn momentum in the Razorback. Like Tapiture, Carve closed out 2014 in
the Dirt Mile, fading to ninth, but the gelding triumphed by 3 1/2 lengths while
making his five-year-old debut in the Fifth Season S. on January 16. Ride On
Curlin also scored in his seasonal return at the track, taking an
allowance/optional claimer, and was a nice second in the Essex H. to ready for
this one.