May 4, 2024

Alpine Princess controls pace, rolls in Untapable

Alpine Princess wins the Untapable S. at Fair Grounds
Alpine Princess wins the Untapable S. at Fair Grounds (Photo by Hodges Photography)

Alpine Princess didn’t break cleanly but quickly recovered to show the way into the first turn of Saturday’s $97,000 Untapable S. at Fair Grounds, and the two-year-old filly dominated the rest of the way on the front end, scoring easily by two lengths. Florent Geroux was up for Brad Cox on the bay daughter of Classic Empire, and Alpine Princess left the starting gate as the 1.70-1 favorite among six rivals.

A convincing winner of a two-turn allowance at Churchill Downs in late November, Alpine Princess showed the way on a clear lead through splits in :24.27, :48.29, and 1:12.81. Her stablemate, last-out maiden winner and 2.20-1 second choice West Omaha, tried to offer a challenge in the stretch, but Alpine Princess had plenty in reserve and rolled home as much the best.

She’s campaigned by Full of Run Racing and Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables campaign, and Alpine Princess notched her first stakes win when completing a mile and 70 yards in 1:43.08.

The Untapable served as a Road to the Kentucky Oaks series qualifier, awarding the top five finishers points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.

West Omaha wound up three lengths clear of late-running Sistina Chapel in third at 9-1. It was another seven lengths to 5-2 third choice Legadema, who chased the winner before giving way nearing the completion of the far turn, and Band of Gold and Fibber rounded out the finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Betz, DJ Stables, Peter V. Lamantia, and Classic Empire Syndicate, Alpine Princess was purchased for $190,000 as a yearling at the 2022 Keeneland September sale. She’s the first foal to race from the Curlin mare Le Mone, a half-sister to multiple stakes-winning sprinter Another Miracle.

Alpine Princess earned her first win at Saratoga in early September, graduating in a seven-furlong maiden special weight, but the bay filly never fired after being fractious at the gate in her stakes debut, finishing seventh in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland. She came back to win the aforementioned 1 1/16-mile allowance at Churchill, and Alpine Princess has now earned $210,810 from a 5-3-0-1 record.