Asmussen Keeps Winchell’s Tapiture, Untapable

Winchell Thoroughbreds will be keeping their entire string of horses, including Tapit-sired stars Tapiture and Untapable with trainer Steve Asmussen, David Fiske Racing Manager of Winchell Thoroughbreds, confirmed Saturday. “We didn’t think it was in our best interest to take the Oaks favorite and the second choice [co-second at the Wynn] for the Derby out of an environment (familiar grooms, feed, training routine, etc.) in which they have thrived for the past year, five weeks before the most important races of their lives,” Fiske commented. “Our biggest concern at the moment is the horses going to the Oaks and the Derby.“ Tapiture finished second when last seen in a roughly run GII Rebel S. Mar. 15 and sits seventh on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 42 points. Previously he had posted back to back wins in the GIII Southwest S. and the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Untapable stands atop the GI Kentucky Oaks leaderboard tied at 60 points with Kaleem Shah’s Awesome Baby (Awesome Again). She was victorious most recently in the GIII Rachel Alexandra S. at Fair Grounds Feb. 22. The bay collected a victory in Churchill’s GII Pocahontas S. last September. Fiske concluded that long-term plans for Winchell Thoroughbred’s string have not yet been discussed, “No, there are a lot of moving parts going on, so we will wait and see what happens.”