Michael Lanford’s Untrapped was sent off at 11-1 in Sunday evening’s $400,000 Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park, but ran down 7-5 favorite Battle of Midway to give trainer Steve Asmussen his first win in the race.
Untrapped broke on top with Gato Del Oro, who stuck his head in front past the opening quarter in :23.90 while on the outside. Upon reaching the backstretch, B Squared and Colonelsdarktemper had ranged up to stalk the pace.
B Squared pulled away from Colonelsdarktemper, moving up to press Gato Del Oro through the half-mile in :47.54. Untrapped was keeping in contact down on the rail with Colonelsdarktemper racing on in fourth.
Battle of Midway, who fell back a bit after being in tight quarters between B Squared and Colonelsdarktemper rounding the first turn, began his move and slid up between Untrapped and Colonelsdarktemper. The rest of the field was also catching up but Gato Del Oro maintained the lead with B Squared to his outside rounding the turn.
Battle of Midway angled out and inched up alongside, then past, Gato Del Oro in the lane, but Untrapped was just beginning his run. The Trappe Shot colt swung out wide under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. and ran down the favorite, finishing nine furlongs on the fast main track in 1:48.2.
Untrapped paid $24.60 for finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of Battle of Midway. The runner-up had 3 1/4 lengths to spare on Gato Del Oro, who was followed under the wire by Colonelsdarktemper, Girvin, Altito, McCormick and B Squared.
Untrapped brought just one win into the Oklahoma Derby, with that coming from his 5 1/4-length maiden victory last November at Churchill Downs. The dark bay colt filled the second spot in his two opening races of 2017, the Lecomte Stakes (G3) and Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds, before shipping to Oaklawn Park for a third-place run in the Rebel Stakes (G2).
Untrapped suffered his only unplaced efforts in his next pair when sixth in the Arkansas Derby (G1) and 12th in the Kentucky Derby (G1), but returned to the top three in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Indiana Derby (G3) in his last two races. With this first stakes win added to his resume, the three-year-old now boasts a 10-2-3-3 career mark and $601,755 in lifetime earnings.
Bred in Kentucky by Indian Creek and Jonathan Sheppard, Untrapped is the first registered stakes winner out of the unraced Giant’s Causeway mare Exit Three. His third dam is the Mr. Prospector mare Yarn, who produced multiple English highweight Minardi, Grade 2-winning leading sire Tale of the Cat, stakes winner Spunoutacontrol and Myth.
Those latter two are themselves the dams of multiple Grade 2 hero Fed Biz and U.S./European champion Johannesburg, respectively.
Asmussen actually won four of the 10 stakes run at Remington on Sunday, kicking off the stakes action with Golden Mischief in the Flashy Lady Stakes and following with Turbo Street next out in the Remington Green Stakes. He saddled Flat Lucky to a third-place finish behind Final Arrow in the Kip Deville Stakes two races later before securing the win with Iron Fist in the Governor’s Cup Stakes.
The Hall of Fame conditioner didn’t have a runner in the Bob Barry Memorial, which was captured by Diva’s Rule, but sent out Ever So Clever to finish second behind Peter Eurton’s returning champion Champagne Room in the Remington Park Oaks.
Asmussen finished off-the-board with his two entrants in the Ricks Memorial, which was won by Gianna’s Dream, and saw pupil Counterforce finish third behind defending champion Ivan Fallunovalot in the David M. Vance Sprint.
Asmussen rounded out his stellar day at Remington Park in the Oklahoma Derby, as he didn’t have any runners in the final race carded, the Red Earth Stakes won by Pacific Typhoon.
