Call Pat Surges to Azeri Win Over Untapable

Miller Racing's Call Pat ran down champion Untapable with a powerful closing kick March 19 to win the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park.

The 1 1/16-mile Azeri marked the season debut for Untapable for the second year in a row, and the Winchell Thoroughbreds runner again finished as the runner up for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Call Pat, trained by Brad Cox, came off a solid Feb. 14 victory over Streamline in the Bayakoa Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn to collect her first grade II win in the Azeri.

BALAN: Call Pat Goes Last to First in Bayakoa

The 6-year-old Lawyer Ron mare had regular rider Joe Rocco Jr. in the irons and had plenty of work to do from last in an eight-horse field turning for home.

"Joe does a great job on this mare," Cox said. "He knows her. ... He knew he couldn't sweep around all those good mares today. Come up the inside, split horses. He did a great job.

"We always know she comes running and I was hoping she wouldn't run out of ground. She ran a great race."

Call Pat broke well from post 1, and Rocco was content to settle at the back of the pack as High Dollar Woman set the tempo with Sarah Sis and Streamline in close pursuit. Untapable also raced close to the lead and was eager to move on under Florent Geroux in her first start of the year. The champion racemare ranged up to take the advantage with a three-wide move, after opening fractions of :23.11 and :47.83, en route to three-quarters in 1:13.15.

Call Pat was still last of all when the field straightened away, and it looked as though Untapable would have just Streamline to contend with as that rival pursued. But Rocco gave his mount the cue to go and Call Pat responded with a rush, quickly cutting the distance through a 1:38.20 mile. She surged ahead through the final sixteenth just in time, galloped between the tiring Untapable and Sarah Sis, and crossed the wire a neck ahead in a final time of 1:44.44.

"It was your typical Call Pat fashion," Rocco said. "She falls back there and I just let her do her thing. We just kind of picked our way through there. She's a nice mare. If you conserve her, she comes running."

Call Pat was bred in Kentucky by Don Ameche III, Don Ameche Jr., and Prancing Horse Enterprises out of the Rahy mare First Song. She sold to Phil Sims for $7,500 at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale when consigned by Allied Bloodstock, and made 11 starts for Sims before she was purchased by Myron Miller. The Azeri victory boosted her record to 7-5-5 from 30 starts, for earnings of $614,589.

Sent off at odds of 5-1, Call Pat returned $12.20, $3.40, and $2.10. Untapable, the 2-5 favorite, paid $2.40 and $2.10. Streamline held third, worth $3.60 to show. Theogony, Sarah Sis, Kyriaki, Meshell, and High Dollar Woman completed the order of finish.

"I was disappointed she ran second, but she ran solid," Asmussen said of Untapable. "The rider said she lost a little focus and didn't see that filly on the outside and she was kind of looking up. I think she ran well. The winner runs well here and we always know how that is when you come into Oaklawn. It is a horse-for-course place."

"It's important to get that first race (off a layoff)," he said. "She will definitely stay here and train and be pointed for the Apple Blossom next."

Following the race, stakes-winning Kyriaki began to exhibit signs of respiratory distress back at the barn. While under the care of a private vet, she went into convulsions and passed away.