Live Oak Plantation’s UNBRIDLED HUMOR (Distorted Humor) was determined to set
the pace in Sunday’s $100,000
Noble
Damsel S. (G3) and, after a brief duel on the backstretch with Twilight Memory (Smart Strike),
the gray lass asserted her authority and led the rest of the way home under
jockey Ramon Dominguez. The four-year-old filly never let up through splits of
:46 2/5 and 1:10 1/5, sailing home to finish a mile over the firm Belmont Park
turf in 1:34 for trainer Graham Motion.
“She’s quite difficult. We’ve had some issues with her as far as getting to
the gate, getting to the track,” Motion said. “She was so well behaved today,
and Ramon did an excellent job. We were a little concerned that she was that
close to the lead and that they went that quick, but it seems as long as you
keep her happy, regardless of how slow or quick she goes, she runs well. She’s
an amazing filly.”
“Ideally, Graham would have liked to seen her covered up, but with the lack
of speed in the race that was going to be difficult. I just took a long hold,”
Dominguez explained. “She was eager, but within reason. Turning for home, she
switched leads on her own and she picked it up pretty nicely.
“I’m very happy with her. Typically, horses tend to relax more when they are
covered up, and that’s been the case with her. Even when she is not covered up,
when she has a couple of horses to look at, she seems to relax better. But she
is pretty versatile, you can do pretty much what you want with her.”
Unbridled Humor was sent off the 4-5 favorite against her six rivals and
returned $3.60, $2.90 and $3.10 to her backers. Thai Haku (Ire) (Oasis Dream [GB])
came running from the back to take second 1 3/4 lengths back, with Aquitaine (Empire Maker)
filling out the three. Aviate (Dansili [GB]), the 9-5 second choice, following
in fourth, while Sea Road (Tale of the Cat), Spring Party (Smart Strike) and
Twilight Memory completed the order under the wire.
Rihanna (Per) (Apprentice), Kid Kate (Lemon Drop Kid), Dynazaper (Ghostzapper)
and Hit It Rich (Smart Strike) were all scratched as main-track only entrants.
Unbridled Humor got back to her winning ways in this spot after suffering her
first career loss in the Diana S. (G1) last out at Saratoga. The lightly raced
miss broke her maiden at the Spa last September and proceeded to add an
allowance victory at Keeneland and Aqueduct’s Memories of Silver S. to her
resume in her next two. She wasn’t seen in competition again for eight months,
but picked back up the winning thread when taking an allowance at Delaware Park
on July 5.
The Florida homebred ran seventh after leading early in the Diana, but
Sunday’s first graded win boosted her earnings to $117,520 and improved her
career mark to 6-5-0-0.
Unbridled Humor is a daughter of Devotion Unbridled (Unbridled), who has
since produced a pair of Awesome Again fillies, an unraced juvenile named Trophy
Gal and a yearling named Devastadora. Devotion Unbridled is out of multiple
Grade 3-placed stakes winner Icy Warning (Caveat) and counts as half-siblings
dual stakes heroine Snow Cone (Cryptoclearance) and the winning Cool Slew
(Seattle Slew), herself the dam of Grade 3 victor Globetrotter (Street Cry
[Ire]) who ran second in the 2009 Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1).
Unbridled Humor’s third dam is multiple stakes scorer Northern Sting
(Northern Jove), who would foal 1997 Manhattan H. (G1) winner and sire Ops Smile
(Caveat).