A Closer Look at Smarty Jones Winner Uncontested

Analysis courtesy of America’s Best Racing. Written by Mike Curry, “Making the Grade” is a regular ABR feature.

Uncontested rebounded from a disappointing stakes debut in November with a powerhouse performance in the Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 16 at Oaklawn Park, where he stamped himself a contender for the 2017 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).

Ability: Co-owner Harry Rosenblum purchased Uncontested for $20,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale, and he showed tremendous promise in his career debut when leading from start to finish in a six-length romp at Keeneland Oct. 19. He earned a promising 106 Equibase Speed Figure for that win at 6 1/2 furlongs, after which Robert LaPenta purchased a 50% interest in the Tiz Wonderful colt.

Trainer Wayne Catalano then tested Uncontested in graded stakes company in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2). He again set the pace but ran out of gas in the stretch and faded to fourth, beaten by five lengths. His Equibase Speed Figure regressed by 20 points to an 86. Because of that, his next start figured to be especially important.

In his 3-year-old bow in the Smarty Jones Stakes, a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Uncontested faced a sloppy track for the first time while cutting back slightly in distance to one mile. Again, he flashed early speed when leading through a half-mile in :46.21, but this time he proved much the best and cruised to a 5 1/4-length runaway. The 106 Equibase Speed Figure matched his debut and placed him back in striking range of the best of his division.

Running style: Uncontested is a speed horse who prefers to go right to the front, but he did relax once he took command in the Smarty Jones and that might be the key to him having something left for the stretch.

With the new points scoring system, the Kentucky Derby has included fewer pure speed horses in recent years. Under the previous system, sprinters had an opportunity to accrue graded stakes earnings in sprint races to qualify, but with a set slate of generally longer races in the new system, those horses must show the ability to carry speed over a route of ground. That has weeded out most of the sprinters from years past, but it remains a daunting task to lead from start to finish in the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby against the best 3-year-old dirt horses in North America—especially considering that many elite racehorses possess natural speed.

Connections: Owners Robert LaPenta and Harry Rosenblum teamed to send out Far Right (15th) in the 2015 Kentucky Derby and Whitmore (19th) in the 2016 edition, the latter in partnership with Southern Springs Stables.

LaPenta won the 2008 Belmont Stakes (G1) with Da' Tara. LaPenta also finished second in the 2010 Kentucky Derby with Ice Box  , second in the 2005 Belmont with Andromeda's Hero and third in the 2010 Preakness Stakes (G1) with Jackson Bend, whom he raced in partnership with Fred Brei. LaPenta also raced 2007 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner War Pass, that year's champion 2-year-old male.

In addition to Far Right and Whitmore, Rosenblum enjoyed success with Gentlemen's Bet, the third-place finisher in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

Trainer Wayne Catalano has amassed more than 2,700 career victories, including three victories in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Catalano twice won the Juvenile Fillies (G1) with Dreaming of Anna (2006) and She Be Wild (2009), both of whom were named champion 2-year-old filly. He added a win in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) in 2011 with Stephanie's Kitten. Catalano has never had a Kentucky Derby starter.

Channing Hill has ridden Uncontested in each of his three starts. Hill, who took out his jockey's license in 2003, earned his 1,000th career win on June 24, 2016, at Churchill Downs. His first graded stakes win came aboard Golden Dawn in the 2008 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G2), and he earned his first Grade 1 win later that year with First Defence in the Forego Handicap. He has not had a starter in the Kentucky Derby. Hill is married to Catalano's daughter, Shelbi.

Pedigree: Uncontested is from the fifth crop of multiple graded stakes winner Tiz Wonderful, whose best victory came in the 2006 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, a race in which he defeated future Grade 1 winners Any Given Saturday and Dominican.

Tiz Wonderful's six graded stakes winners include Grade 1 victor Condo Commando.

Uncontested is out of the winning Lil E. Tee mare Galileo's Star, who also is the dam of graded stakes winner Solitary Ranger. Uncontested's grandam, June Gale, by Run For Nurse, produced a pair of stakes winners, one of which, June's Reward, was a stakes winner at 1 1/8 miles.

The Smarty Jones was a huge step forward for Uncontested, but given that it came on a sloppy track it is fair to want to see the colt replicate that type of performance before elevating him into the top tier. His running style is not ideal, I've preferred the pedigrees of some of the previous Derby contenders profiled here in comparison to his, and I'd like to see him win around two turns on a dry, fast track before I get too excited.

That said, Uncontested clearly has talent, and he bounced back in a big way in the Smarty Jones to get himself back on track on the Derby trail.