Untamed Domain favored in G3 Kent
Untamed Domain at Del Mar. Photo by Jesse Caris/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup.
From a Delaware Park release
West Point Thoroughbreds’ Untamed Domain tops the $200,000 Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile-and-an-eighth grass affair has attracted a field of nine 3-year-olds.
The son of Animal Kingdom will be seeking his first victory of the season. In his most recent, the Kentucky-bred conditioned by H. Graham Motion finished fourth in the mile-and-an-eighth $200,000 Grade III Pennine Ridge over the Belmont Park turf on June 2. Previously, he ran second in the mile-and-a-sixteenth $300,000 Grade II American Turf at Churchill Downs on May 5. He has a career record of two wins, two seconds and two thirds from nine starts with earnings of $403,150.
Untamed Domain is 5-2 on the morning line. He will break from post number five under jockey Jose Ortiz.
After Untamed Domain closed his two-year-old campaign with a second in the one-mile Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on November 3, he has somewhat frustrated Motion this year because has not found the winner’s circle after four starts.
“I think his form from the Breeders’ Juvenile Turf was phenomenal,” said Motion. “There have been a good number of horses that have come out of that race and performed very well, so in that light, it is a little frustrating. It is also frustrating because I know how much ability the horse has. In his last race, the prep for the Belmont Derby, I kind of blame myself. We took him out of his running style a little bit and it just did not work out. On Saturday, we are going to let him run his race, and Jose Ortiz will be back to ride him. He knows him very well, so we are certainly very happy to have him back on board.”
Motion is pleased with the way Untamed Domain is coming into the race.
“I am very happy with him,” Motion said. “His last work was a little slow, but that was over the Fair Hill turf course where they tend to go a little slow because it is uphill. I am also happy we only have to go a half-hour down the road to run in a graded stake with him, instead of shipping to Kentucky or Belmont. So it is a very logical spot for him.”
Reddam Racing’s Blame the Rider (7-2), who has made all eight of his career starts at Santa Anita, rates as the second choice. This year, the son of Jimmy Creed has a record of two wins, a second and a third from eight starts. In his latest, the Kentucky-bred trained by Doug O’Neill ran second in the mile-and-a-sixteenth $100,000 Rainbow Stakes on the grass on June 16. Previously he won the one-mile $100,000 Singletary Stakes. Mario Gutierrez is named to ride.
