Expert Pick of the Week: Unbridled Stakes
Apr 22, 2020
A talented field of seven sophomores will travel 1 1/16 miles in Saturday’s $75,000 Unbridled S. at Gulfstream Park. The feature on a 12-race card marks the stakes debut of impressive maiden victor Dr. Post, and I think the dark bay has a very bright future. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Dr. Post was sent postward as a 1-2 favorite in his first offering at Belmont Park last summer, and he finished fourth behind a pair of subsequent juvenile stakes winners. The colt made his seasonal debut at Gulfstream on March 29, and he was again well-backed at odds of even-money in a 12-horse cast.
The $400,000 son of Quality Road was drawn widest of all in that maiden special weight event, but he overcame the post and a wide journey to prevail in sharp fashion, earning a hefty 104 Brisnet Speed figure in the process.
Dr. Post has obvious room for improvement with just a pair of lifetime starts to his credit. The substantial 109 Brisnet Late Pace number he registered while going 7-furlongs is a good indicator that the colt will thrive in his route debut on Saturday, too.
The Kentucky-bred shows a pair of solid morning moves at Palm Beach Downs in the interim, and he picks up Irad Ortiz Jr. for the voyage, as well. Dr. Post has good gate presence and will never be far from the early tempo in his black-type bow.
I have interest in a pair of swift runners to fill out the exacta in the Unbridled. Necker Island, one of two in the cast for conditioner Stanley Hough, draws well on the rail for his second appearance at Gulfstream Park.
The son of Hard Spun was a dual winner as a juvenile, and returned in 2020 to contest a pair of Grade 3 events. The chestnut is training well in preparation of his third try of the campaign, and his early speed is a huge asset with a very short run into the first turn.
Potential pacesetter Relentless Dancer was prominent early in both the Holy Bull (G2) and Tampa Bay Derby (G3), prior to tiring late in both of those battles. Trained by Mike Maker, the stakes-winning Cajun-bred will appreciate the class relief on Saturday. And he has posted bullet morning drills on three occasions leading up to the Unbridled.
Expert Pick
An exacta with Dr. Post over Necker Island and Relentless Dancer is the Best Bet of the Week.
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