Robert LaPenta and Harry Rosenblum's 'TDN Rising Star' Uncontested (Tiz Wonderful), a dominant 5 1/4-length winner of the Jan. 16 Smarty Jones S., breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 Sunday morning at Oaklawn Park in preparation for the Hot Springs oval's Feb. 20 GIII Southwest S. Working beneath regular rider Channing Hill just after the renovation break, the Wayne Catalano trainee covered his final quarter-mile in :23.80 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40.
“What Wayne wanted was a real nice maintenance move,” said Hill, the son-in-law of Uncontested's trainer. “Nothing too crazy, and that's what he did. [He is] just super calm and does everything you ask him to do. Went out there and had a little fun–stretched his legs out.”
Catalano added, “He did everything right.”
The conditioner said the speedy Uncontested, a two-time winner from three lifetime starts, will have one more easy work before the Southwest, Oaklawn's President's Day feature.
Uncontested will likely be joined in the starting gate by Petrov (Flatter), runner-up in the Smarty Jones for trainer Ron Moquett. The gray posted a work of his own Sunday morning, breezing four panels in :48.20 (2/85) with a final quarter of :22.60 and a gallop out of five furlongs in 1:00.40.
“I thought it was a very smooth, nice work,” said Moquett. “I really loved his gallop out, and it moves us closer to the Southwest.”
Like Uncontested, Petrov is expected to work once more ahead of the race. Rowdy the Warrior (Warrior's Reward) and Warrior's Club (Warrior's Reward), third and fourth, respectively, in the Smarty Jones, are also under consideration for the Southwest.
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