Untapable honored as Fair Grounds' Horse of the Meet following FG Oaks triumph

Untapable honored as Fair Grounds' Horse of the Meet

following FG Oaks triumph

Untapable, the 7

3/4-length heroine of Saturday's 48th running of the Fair

Grounds Oaks and 9 1/2-length winner of the Rachel Alexandra before that, has been named Horse of the Meeting for the 142nd season at Fair

Grounds.

Untapable's next assignment is expected to come in the

Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 2. Five of the last nine Fair Grounds Oaks winners have

parlayed their local victories to others in that same three-year-old filly fixture

at Louisville's famous Twin Spires oval.

Untapable, who was also unanimously named top three-year-old filly of the New Orleans season, is trained by Steve Asmussen.

Horse of the Meet and divisional honors were determined by

a vote of media and racing officials at Fair Grounds.

Vicar's in Trouble, winner of Saturday's 101st

running of the Louisiana Derby, was also unanimously voted best three-year-old

male horse. The Mike Maker-conditioned sophomore also won the January 19 Lecomte

over the track and finished third in the Risen Star on February 22 despite being handicapped by an outside post position.

Vicar's in Trouble is expected to make his next start in

the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Palace Malice, who won Saturday New Orleans Handicap

by 4 3/4-lengths, also took all the votes to be named best

older horse of the Fair Grounds meeting. The son of Curlin, who remains undefeated as a

four-year-old, is trained by Todd Pletcher and captured last year's Belmont Stakes. Skyring,

who captured Saturday's Mervin H. Muniz

Jr. Memorial Handicap over the Stall-Wilson turf course and finished

second by a nose in the Fair Grounds Handicap five weeks ago, was

elected top turf horse of the local season. Skyring is conditioned by Hall of

Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Class Included didn't compete on Saturday, but the Include mare was

unanimously voted best older female horse based on those two local stakes

scores. The Ron Faucheux-trained six-year-old mare scored in the Bayou Handicap

five weeks ago as well as the Blushing K D Handicap in December. Fellow Faucheux

trainee Sunbean, who won this season's Louisiana Champions Day Classic

and Star Guitar, finished third in the New Orleans 'Cap, good enough to be

honored as best older Louisiana-bred of the meeting.

Heitai was selected as top sprinter of the Fair Grounds season

based on his victory over Delaunay in the Duncan F. Kenner

on March 8. Delaunay won top sprinter honors last season and was also

named Horse of the 141st Meeting. Trained by Karl Broberg, Heitai also won the

Louisiana Champions Day Sprint and Costa Rising. Artist Cry, winner of the restricted Sarah Lane's Oates

and fifth in the Fair Grounds

Oaks on Saturday, was named best Louisiana-bred three-year-old of the meeting. Wes Hawley is the

Clever Cry filly's trainer.

British-bred Lucky Rave was elected best claimer of the meeting based

on his four victories at the local oval as well as his third-place finish in his

last start when only beaten a half-length for the win on March 23.

Familiar names topped the human standings at Fair Grounds

as Rosie Napravnik, Steve Asmussen and Maggi Moss repeated

their respective titles as leading jockey, trainer, and owner at the 142nd

Thoroughbred race meet.

Napravnik notched her fourth consecutive riding title,

besting runner-up James Graham for the third consecutive season, concluding the

season with 114 wins, a nine-win advantage over Graham. On March 13 aboard

Pistolpackinsenora, she ensured herself another 100-win season after bagging 125

wins in the 2012-2013 season, 111 with her 2011-2012 title and 110 in

2010-2011.

Napravnik joins Ronald Ardoin (1992-1993 through 1995-1996) and Shane

Romero (1987-1988 through 1991-1992) as the only riders with at least four

consecutive Fair Grounds riding titles since 1960.

Napravnik rode multiple stakes winners over the course of

the meet and ruled in the biggest races for three-year-olds at the stand, guiding

Vicar's in Trouble in the Louisiana Derby and Lecomte as well as piloting Untapable in the Fair Grounds Oaks

and Rachel Alexandra.

Asmussen, who tied for leading trainer honors last season

with Tom Amoss, ended the season atop the Fair Grounds trainer standings for the

13th time in his career with 60 wins. Asmussen has led the trainer race

throughout nearly the entire meet and remained well clear of Amoss who finished

the season as the runner-up.

Asmussen's meet was highlighted by the commanding performances of sophomore Untapable.

Moss tallied her fourth straight title as leading owner

after tying with Asmussen at 18 wins last season, landing 21 wins at the meet,

including the Battle of New Orleans Stakes with Kiss to Remember. Moss also

campaigned the meet's only five-time winner, Phat Day.

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