By Alan Carasso
With a singular exception, a logical case can be made for any one of the six other fillies or mares entered for Saturday's GI Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont Park Saturday afternoon.
Charles Fipke's Forever Unbridled (Unbridled's Song), the daughter of 2006 GI Kentucky Oaks upsetter Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid), has begun to live up to her regal pedigree this year at four, having become her late sire's 21st Grade I winner with a 2 1/2-length success in the Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Park Apr. 15. In landing that female feature of the Racing Festival of the South, the bay–a full-sister to GI Ballerina S. winner Unbridled Forever–was taking her overall winning streak to three, having closed 2015 with a head defeat of Carrumba (Bernardini) in the GIII Comely S. in November before tacking on a popular score in the GIII Houston Ladies' Classic Jan. 30.
It may escape the memory of some that David Fawkes trained Take d'Tour (Tour d'Or) to back-to-back Phipps wins in 2006 and 2007 and he's in with every chance to rack up another in the form of Sheer Drama (Big Drama). Winner of three of her eight starts last year at age five, including the GI Delaware H. and the GI Personal Ensign S., the Harold Queen homebred was a tough-trip fourth behind Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat) in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff Oct. 30 before calling it a season. Kept in training for a 6-year-old campaign, the chestnut mare turned the tables on her Distaff conqueror in the seven-furlong GI Madison S. at Keeneland Apr. 9, but was a somewhat disappointing third to Curalina (Curlin) when last seen in the GI La Troienne S. on Kentucky Oaks day May 6.
Curalina was front and center for the first time in last year's GI Acorn S. on this program, coming home to score by a game neck after getting squeezed back at the break. Never out of the top three in nine career races to date, the Eclipse runner was third to her stablemate in the Distaff, but made the most of her seasonal debut in the La Troienne, streaking away to take it by 7 1/2 lengths.
“I thought it was a big return effort and, visually, you could argue that it's probably her most impressive,” said Pletcher, a three-time Phipps winner. “She's trained very well since then and I'm very happy with her. She's trained like she's going to run a really good race. Obviously, in this particular race, it's going to take a really good effort from her to win it.”
Stopchargingmaria was no better than fourth to Sheer Drama in the Personal Ensign, but outlasted future champion Stellar Wind (Curlin) to take the Distaff by a neck. She was out to improve on her runner-up effort from the 2015 Madison in that test and led into the final furlong, only to be run down by Sheer Drama.
'TDN Rising Star' Cavorting (Bernardini) validated that status with a victory in last year's GI Test S. at Saratoga, but was the beaten favorite when fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Oct. 31 and again in the GI La Brea S. Dec. 26. Second to an in-form Paulassilverlining (Ghostzapper) in the GIII Distaff H. Apr. 17, the bay was very impressive in besting Carrumba by five lengths in the GII Ruffian S. May 14, her first win at a route of ground.
“It was really nice that she got a mile and did it the right way,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin explained. “The nice thing, at least some of the time, the one turn is really important for a horse that's coming from seven-eighths. It makes it like an extended sprint. When you start going 1 1/16 miles around two turns, it could be different. But since we'll have that long run down the backside and plenty of pace in front of us, we just need to settle the first part.”
Florent Geroux has the call for the first time Saturday.
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