Moving west and still north of the Ohio River, Untrapped seeks his first stakes victory in the fourth Derby of his 3-year-old season.
The Arkansas-owned colt is rematched against Ohio Derby winner Irap in tonight's running of the Grade 3 $500,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. Mike Langford, a commercial real-estate developer from Jonesboro, owns the Trappe Shot colt, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden tonight by Ricardo Santana Jr.
Untrapped reached a career peak in the spring with two seconds and two thirds in consecutive stakes appearances. Then in two Grade 1 appearances, he finished sixth in the Arkansas Derby with blinkers and 12th in the Kentucky Derby without the hood. Asmussen said the colt "ran solid" when third in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby, 4 1/4 lengths behind winner Irap, who nosed out Grade 2 Louisiana Derby winner Girvin June 24 at Thistledown.
"We need to get into a good rhythm with him," Asmussen said. "I think he's capable of a better trip than he got on multiple occasions this year, and when it comes together he's going to win a good race."
Shipping from New Orleans, where stuck in quarantine earlier in the year after an outbreak of equine herpes virus at Fair Grounds, Untrapped finished third in Oaklawn Park's Grade 2 Rebel Stakes March 18. Despite disappointing in the Arkansas Derby, Untrapped had enough points from qualifying races to give Langford his first Kentucky Derby starter May 6 at Churchill Downs.
"In the Kentucky Derby, he cut himself pretty good coming out of the gate," Langford was quoted this week on bloodhorse.com. "We gave him some time, let that heal. I think he ran his race in Ohio. I do think there's a little more there. Steve really likes the way he's doing right now, I think more so than going into the Ohio Derby."
Untrapped is the early 6-1 second choice in the betting from post nine. Irap, 8-5 from post two, keeps Mario Gutierrez aboard with co-high weight of 124 pounds, his maiden victory coming in April's Grade 2 Blue Grass at Keeneland.
A son of two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow, Irap "definitely validated his performance in the Blue Grass" with his Ohio Derby victory, said trainer Doug O'Neill. "It felt great and I think it showed the kind of talent this horse has."
Tony Foyt's Colonelsdarktemper, a last-out second to mutliple graded-stakes winner McCraken at Churchill Downs, breaks from post 10 in the Indiana Derby. Jon Court rides the Colonel John colt, a February debut winner at Oaklawn, for trainer and father-in-law Jinks Fires.
The mile-and-sixteenth Indiana Derby is set for 8:49 p.m. CT.
Sports on 07/15/2017