It took a terrible start, an overeager favorite and some moisture in the track, but a major upset occurred at Oaklawn Park Friday evening as Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo) blew past universal sure thing Unique Bella (Tapit) to take the GI Apple Blossom H. by 2 1/4 lengths. First-off-the-claim Fuhriously Kissed (Langfuhr) kicked on for third for some lucrative black-type. “This is our first time we've ever been to Hot Springs, and I'm sure we'll be back again,” said Stephen Brunetti, whose father and founder of Red Oak Stable John Brunetti, Sr. passed away last month. “We were going back and forth between a couple of different races and [trainer] Todd [Pletcher] told us how well she was training and he said, 'Let's take a shot in the Apple Blossom.' You never knew what would have happened with Unique Bella. She was shipping and it was a sloppy track. Just all worked out for the best.”
Friday, Oaklawn Park
APPLE BLOSSOM H.-GI, $700,000, OP, 4-13, 4yo/up, f/m,
1 1/16m, 1:43.94, gd.
1–UNBRIDLED MO, 116, m, 5, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Unbridled Waters, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Waterside, by Topsider
3rd Dam: Talk Out, by Tobin Bronze
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Red Oak Stable (Brunetti) (KY); T-Todd
Pletcher; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr.. $420,000. Lifetime Record:
10-7-0-0, $960,880. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”equix-optimatch”]2–Unique Bella, 123, f, 4, by Tapit
1st Dam: Unrivaled Belle, by Unbridled's Song
2nd Dam: Queenie Belle, by Bertrando
3rd Dam: Lady Argyle, by Don B.
'TDN Rising Star' ($400,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Don Alberto
Stable; B-Brushwood Stable (PA); T-Jerry Hollendorfer.
$140,000. *1/2 to Unbridled Essence (Essence of Dubai), GSW,
$324,957.[bullet ad=”eaton-sold”][bullet ad=”stonestreet-trainingalum”]3–Fuhriously Kissed, 114, m, 5, by Langfuhr
1st Dam: French Kiss, by Hussonet
2nd Dam: Ornate, by Gilded Time
3rd Dam: Nile Chant, by Val de l'Orne (Fr)
O-Loooch Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Anita Cauley (KY); T-Anthony Quartarolo. $70,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2HF, NK. Odds: 4.80, 0.20, 56.90.
Also Ran: Streamline, Tiger Moth, Beach Flower, Farrell.
Click for the Equineline.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Unique Bella went to her knees at the start, but immediately rushed up while very wide around the first bend as Unbridled Mo clung to the rail in fourth. Mike Smith did all he could to try and settle last year's champion female sprinter down the backside, but the hulking grey wouldn't shut off, and she tugged her way even with Farrell (Malibu Moon) through a :46.94 half despite being kept far off the inside and away from her foe. Unbridled Mo, meanwhile, was being asked to quicken by Ricardo Santana, Jr. and began to do so midway around the home turn. Unique Bella had built up a sliver of daylight hitting the straight, but the gas appeared to be running out as Streamline (Straight Line) came to challenge and Unbridled Mo revved up further out. Neither foe could muster up any rebuttal to Unbridled Mo in midstretch, and even though she swapped back over to her wrong lead after trying to jump a tire track, and despite Unique Bella finding more once she saw she'd been passed, the race was over.
“We got a good break,” Santana, the meet's leading rider, said. “I was scared during the first turn when I had to stop her a little bit, but I knew she was coming back. I was sitting fourth and at the five-eighths [pole] I took her out a little bit and then she came on pretty good. At the three-eighths, I was just waiting for the turn for home because I didn't want to move too soon. When I turned for home, I asked her and her class won out.”
As for the favorite's tough trip, Smith said: “She squatted in the gate. I was trying to stand her up. The next thing I knew they opened the gates and she squatted back. She totally missed the break. I wish I could have stayed last. If I could have, I would have. She was very strong and very fresh. After she got left, she just wanted to catch up. I could have thrown her down, but I've never had to do that and I wasn't about to start. It was just unfortunate.”
Unbridled Mo debuted in late April of her sophomore season, and broke through second out on the stretch-out at Monmouth before adding two more scores at the shore, capped by the 2016 GIII Monmouth Park Oaks. She added the Remington Park Oaks that September, but made only two starts at four-both victories-in the GIII Houston Ladies Classic in January and GIII Doubledogdare S. at Keeneland some 51 weeks ago. The bay mare had last been seen checking in fourth in Gulfstream's GIII Royal Delta S. Feb. 19.
“We were kind of kicking around a couple of different options,” said Todd Pletcher of the decision to take Unbridled Mo to Arkansas. “Most importantly, the filly was training extremely well and seemed like she was sitting on a good race. We thought ultimately a Grade I was sort of the only thing missing on her resume. She's a very consistent mare. We knew that there was a very short-priced favorite we had to beat. We felt like if she'd won, even if she was second or third, if would be a positive result. We decided to go ahead and take a shot and we're very happy that we did.”
Pedigree Notes:
A $155,000 Fasig-Tipton February purchase in 1999, Unbridled Mo's dam Unbridled Waters was a four-time winner for Red Oak and trainer John Kimmel. The half-sister to GSW Big Booster (Accelerator) also produced GSW Unbridled Essence (Essence of Dubai), who in turn produced GSP Unbridled Daddy (Scat Daddy). An unraced 4-year-old full-sister to Unbridled Mo is Unbridled Waters's last recorded produce. Unbridled Mo is the sixth Grade I winner for her young phenom sire, and is bred on a version of the Uncle Mo-Unbridled cross that also produced Pletcher-trained GI Wood Memorial S. hero Outwork.
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