Trainer Brad Cox sends out California Sunset in the $100,000 Untapable Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Saturday seeking yet another contender for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 2.
Already, Cox has the top two fillies on the Oaks qualifying points leaderboard with Immersive and Good Cheer. Muhimma is 10th. Combined, the trio of fillies total five victories in the first nine Oaks preps.
Amarth. Coady Photo.
Immersive (40 points), the likely 2-year-old filly champion, won the Darley Alcibiades (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1); Good Cheer (20 points) won the Rags to Riches and the Golden Rod (G2); and Muhimma (10 points) won the Demoiselle (G2).
California Sunset gets her chance to step up in a field of eight going 1 mile, 70 yards. A victory is worth 10 Oaks points, with the next four finishers picking up 5-3-2-1 points.
The Quality Road filly won at second asking at Churchill Downs on Oct. 27, surviving an inquiry for interference to edge Girl Math by a neck at 1 1/16 miles. California Sunset, the 9-2 third betting choice behind 5-2 favorite Golden Gamble and 7-2 Amarth, will be ridden by Florent Geroux out of post 5.
Golden Gamble, who ran third to California Sunset in that Oct. 27 race at Churchill in her debut, romped in her second start by nine lengths at Churchill on Nov. 23. Brain Hernandez, Jr., has the call out of post 4 for trainer Kenny McPeek.
Amarth has won two of three for trainer Eddie Kenneally and will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 6.
Also on the card is the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes, a Kentucky Derby (G1) points qualifier with a sliding scale of 10-5-3-2-1 point to the top five finishers.
Post time for the Untapable, race 11, is 6 p.m. ET
For those who bet horse racing …
The picks: 1 Golden Gamble 2 California Sunset 3 Paris Lily
The field for the $100,000 Untapable Stakes, from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Stable Currency (David Cohen, Chris Block), 8-1
2 Prima Bella (Jareth Loveberry, B A Brinkman), 8-1
3 Her Laugh (Axel Concepcion, Whit Beckman), 6-1
4 Golden Gamble (Brian Hernandez, Jr., Kenny McPeek), 5-2
5 California Sunset (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox), 9-2
6 Amarth (Luis Saez, Eddie Kenneally), 7-2
7 Paris Lily (Jose Ortiz, Brendan Walsh), 8-1
8 Drexel Hill (Jaime Torres), Whit Beckman), 8-1
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
