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Track Phantom, Alpine Princess too much for rivals in Gun Runner, Untapable

Dec 24, 2023 Kevin Kilroy

Track Phantom wins the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds (Photo by Hodges Photography)

The Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series kicked off at Fair Grounds on Saturday.

Gun Runner

L and N Racing, Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom, and Breeze Easy’s Track Phantom tended to a hot pace, took control after the first call and never looked back to win the $100,000 Gun Runner. The son of Quality Road, trained by Steve Asmussen, earned 10 points towards a spot in the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1).

After pressing the speed-and-fade Next Level through the :23.61 first call, Track Phantom made a deft move at the three-furlong pole and sustained the momentum to lead through the first half-mile in :46.93. Although he had the 1-2 favorite Nash and Snead in pursuit across Fair Grounds' long homestretch, the rising star held sway through the wire, stopping the clock at 1:44.42 for 1 1/16 miles.

Track Phantom returned $11.80, $5.80, $2.60. Snead paid $8.20, $3.00. Nash returned $2.10 to show.

“It’s impressive that both of his two turn races have been victories, and it was a good field today,” Asmussen said. “I actually thought they went too fast in the middle, you know, 46 4/5 here in a two-turn race, you don’t see horses see it out very often. He’s obviously a very good horse who has some room to physically develop and we have him right where want to be at this stage of his career.”

Named for one of the all-time greats, the initial Gun Runner was won by the Asmussen-trained Epicenter two years ago. That colt would later take down both the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2) in advance of a runner-up performance in the Kentucky Derby.

“Gun Runner was such a special horse for us,” Asmussen said. “He got started during his two-year-old, three-year-old season here, which put him on the map, and the things he went on to do were obviously very special.”

In town to ride just this one race, Christian Torres piloted the juvenile to the 1 3/4 length win over Snead. It was the up-and-coming jockey’s first career Fair Grounds win from just three local mounts.

“He broke sharp for us like we expected,” Torres said. “Going into the first turn I was trying to let the one horse (Next Level) go and save (my horse). On the backside, he kind of relaxed a little bit, but I knew we were going a little bit fast. The way he was traveling, he felt comfortable and he was well in hand. I just waited until we turned for home to really ask him and when he did, he just took off.”

After settling near the back through the opening half mile, Imagine Racing and Margaret Fauber’s Snead made a wide move with intention though the far turn, setting his sights on the leaders, and making quick work of Nash. Trained by Brendan Walsh and guided by Jareth Loveberry, Snead kept coming at Track Phantom but fell short. The son of Nyquist earned 5 points on his road to the Kentucky Derby

“That was a huge one,” Walsh said. “I’m delighted. You'd like to think he’d improve more because he’s that type of horse and that the further he goes the better he’ll get. He ran at that horse again right at the end. I don't think the pennies dropped with this horse still. He’s so laid back. When things really click with him, who knows (what he could do) if he keeps going the right way.”

Nash stalked the front runners and tried to muster a bid in the homestretch but could never find a run to match strides with the top two. The son of Medaglia d’Oro earned 3 points towards the Run for the Roses.

“I thought he got a good trip,” Cox said. “Sat behind what we thought was a hot pace. Horse on the lead kept going. No excuses that I can see. He was getting passed by a horse on the outside. I don't know. We’ll see how he comes out of it. Disappointing. We’ll see if we can bounce back. I thought he’d show a little more today.”

Footprint finished in fourth for trainer Ken McPeek to receive 2 points and Track Phantom’s stablemate Risk It earned 1 point for his fifth place finish. Neat and Next Level rounded out the order of finish.

Having broken his maiden last out on Churchill Downs’ “Stars of Tomorrow II” card, the newly-minted stakes winner now boasts a record of 4-2-1-1 with $165,000 in the bank along with a promise note for more.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby through Fair Grounds picks back up on Jan. 20 with the 1 1/8 miles Lecomte (G3). On Feb. 17, the Derby dreamers will be tasked with 1 1/8 miles in the Risen Star (G2), and the last New Orleans stop before the first weekend in May comes on March 23 with the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at 1 3/16 miles.

Untapable

Fighting through and winning the early battle for positioning in and out of the first turn, Full of Run Racing and Madakat Stables’ Alpine Princess wired five fillies in Saturday’s $100,000 Untapable for two-year-old fillies.

Though Alpine Princess’ lead seemed insurmountable, stablemate West Omaha never quit through the stretch to finish two lengths back at the wire, securing the Brad Cox-trained exacta. Alpine Princess covered the mile and 70 yards in 1:43.08 to earn 10 points towards a post in the Kentucky Oaks 150 next spring. Owned by Gary and Mary West, West Omaha collected 5 Oaks points.

Breaking from the rail and brushing an outer foe, Alpine Princess found herself in the rear at the outset, but her jockey Florent Geroux urged her through the encroaching outside fillies unscathed and into command of the field with first-time router Legadema in chase mode at her tail. After scrambling through the first turn three-wide, West Omaha took a tracking position in fourth. Traveling comfortably in :24.27 and :48.29, Alpine Princess grew bold, adding distance to her lead at every call, as Legadema began to fade turning for home.

West Omaha and Sistina Chapel were coming on, but the latter could not match strides and crossed the wire three lengths behind West Omaha in third for trainer Ken McPeek, earning 3 Oaks points. Legadema held on for fourth and 2 points. Band of Gold managed fifth and 1 point.

Sent off as the 8-5 favorite, Alpine Princess returned $5.40, $3.00, $2.40. West Omaha paid $3.40, 2.40. Sistina Chapel offered $3.40 to show.

'It wasn't my plan to go to the lead,” Geroux said. “But she broke well and I was going to get squeezed pretty hard leaving there, so I just took the best option and that was to let my filly run and not take a very strong hold going into the first turn. I had to give her a couple of reminders right at the end. She was getting a little lost the last furlong. She's a very honest filly. We've liked her from the beginning. I don't see many fillies on this circuit right now who blow my mind. We know the route to take (towards the Kentucky Oaks).'

Alpine Princess’s first stakes victory ratcheted her career earnings up $210,810 to match her 5-3-0-1 record.

Last year’s Untapable winner, Pretty Mischievous, would go on to win the Rachel Alexandra (G2) and finish second in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) en route to an eventual score in Kentucky Oaks 149.

The Road to the Kentucky Oaks through Fair Grounds picks back up on Jan. 20. Fasig-Tipton sponsors Fair Grounds’ 2024 series for 3-year-old fillies. The Fasig-Tipton Tremé Triple consists of the Silverbulletday Stakes (ran on Jan. 20), the Rachel Alexandra (Feb. 17), and Fair Grounds Oaks on March 23. The name of the race series is a tribute to the historic Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans that borders Fair Grounds Race Course.

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